Richard Elias estimates that six or seven cases of identity
theft are reported by members of the UCLA community every week.
The university police detective said identity theft is a crime
students ““ especially those who live off campus ““
should be very aware of.
And some recent studies show that identity theft among young
people is on the rise nationally as well.
According to Quest, a communications company dedicated to
providing information about identity theft, people between the ages
of 18 and 29 are currently the top targets.
Elias said part of the reason UCLA students are targeted is
because their living situations often make identity theft easy.
Off-campus residents are more often victimized because the mail
services in their buildings are less secure than mail services in
the residence halls, he said.
“(Identity) thieves need to grab that junk mail,” he
said, adding that criminals often capitalize on pre-approved credit
card applications sent to college students. “On-campus mail
is centralized and supervised” while mail sent to off-campus
apartments is not.
Elias said UCPD has arrested members of identity theft rings
that specifically targeted students and faculty living off
campus.
Students and visiting faculty members make ideal targets because
their addresses change frequently. Thieves can rack up thousands of
dollars in unauthorized debt without the victim knowing because the
bills are sent to a former address, Elias said.
Danny Torres, a second-year biology student who lives off
campus, said although he is careful not to give out his Social
Security number or leave credit cards out in plain sight, he is
less conscious of his junk mail.
“I never really paid attention to it,” he said.
Although identity theft is fairly common off campus, officials
said they have taken steps to ensure that university financial
systems remain secure.
Marsha Lovell, director of student financial services, said the
department performs monthly scans of its online payment systems and
complies with stringent industry security standards.
“It’s something we address on a daily basis,”
she said. “We’re pretty sure it’s as secure as it
can be because it’s a tough standard.”
She added that in order to combat identity theft, the university
a few years ago began using student ID numbers instead of Social
Security numbers to identify students.
Lovell said she was not aware of any cases of identity theft
within UCLA’s online financial systems.
Both Lovell and Elias said students can minimize the risk of
identity theft by monitoring their own behavior.
Students should keep track of their junk mail and should speak
with building managers about securing mail, Elias said.
He also encouraged students to report any suspicious persons or
behavior to police.
Lovell said students should be aware of their surroundings when
paying bills online, adding that students often are not careful
enough when transmitting sensitive information over the Web.
“Students are very Web-savvy,” she said. “They
don’t have that fear.”
She also said students should never share personal
identification information with anyone ““ even friends.