College students urged to be aware of identity theft

PHOENIX — A record number of Sun Devils will soon call the campus home.

“More than 13,500 first-year and returning students will be moving into residence halls across all campuses,” said Arizona State University spokesperson, Diana Bejarano. “The students represent all 50 states and more than 30 countries.”

The University of Arizona is expected to welcome 10,000 new students to campus this semester, a record 7,200 of which are true freshman.

But with tens of thousands of students and adults alike flooding the ASU and U of A campuses this school year, identity theft is an issue not to be taken lightly.

“College students are a target for identity thieves because they’re living in an environment which is so open and they have some many people who have access to their information,” said Adam Levin, chairman and co-founder of Scottsdale-based IDT 911.

He said the revolving-door environment of having a roommate can often lead to friendly fraud.

“This is why it’s so very important to keep your documents, your driver’s license, your passport (and) anything that contains personal identifying information, in a safe place,” he explained.

He also said locking dorm rooms regularly and creating tough laptop passwords can help freshman avoid becoming a victim.

College students and young adults make up nearly 30 percent of all identity theft victims around the nation.

KTAR’s Sandra Haros contributed to this report.