Welcome to the ‘Real World’: Protect Your Identity

The state’s Department of Consumer Protection (DCP) focused on identity theft concerns in its May edition of Consumer Watch. And with many families in the midst of ‘graduation season,’ the newsletter highlighted the identity theft issues young adults encounter as they enter the job market or college. According to the newsletter, approximately a quarter of identity theft complaints filed with the Federal Trade Commission in 2013 involved victims under 30 years of age.

The newsletter provides the following eight tips for young people to protect themselves against identity theft:

1. keeping Social Security cards in a locked place at home;
2. requesting an assigned number, instead of a Social Security Number, for student identification;
3. shredding pre-approved credit card offers and unnecessary parts of bills;
4. placing outgoing mail directly in U.S. Postal Service mailboxes;
5. using unique passwords and changing them periodically;
6. paying bills and purchasing items only from secure computer lines;
7. installing and maintaining virus and malware protection; and
8. obtaining credit reports each year.