Financial Literacy: How to Avoid Identity Theft – Another Tool for your Students (and maybe you too)

According to the March 2009 US Unisys Security Index, credit and debit card fraud is the No. 1 fear of Americans in the midst of the global financial crisis. Concern about fraud supersedes that of terrorism, computer and health viruses and personal safety. While this may be true, with all the complications college students face at school, I have a feeling identity theft is usually the last thing on their mind.

Most students probably assume they are not a good target for identity theft, after acquiring student loans, living expenses, and the cost of “college fun”. All they are thinking about are the new responsibilities, college life and the pains of growing up. What could a young college student with debt and little income possibly offer a thief? IDENTITY – all the personal information and all the numbers and accounts that make up who that student is! And those identities are what those thieves want! If I sound overly sensitive to this topic, it is because my identity was stolen twice! This is serious stuff!

To aid our Money Monday student webinar goals and provide you with more resources, we continue to expand our financial literacy .PDF library. Our latest focus is on helping students learn to protect their identity. We have added this to our Financial Literacy section on Nelnet’s website for schools. Just click on Financial Literacy. You can choose from black/white or color copies. On the bottom of the sheet, as with all of our financial literacy .PDF tools, we have left a section editable so that you can add your own messaging, website, contact info, office hours, etc.

• Identity Theft-Black/White
• Identity Theft-Color
Keep those ideas coming! If you have an idea for a financial literacy tool, please let us know!