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The Honolulu Advertiser

Posted on: Thursday, December 18, 2003

College students at high risk of identity theft

Associated Press

WASHINGTON — Federal education officials are warning college students to watch out for identity theft amid concern that it could land young adults in huge debt.

The Education Department last week unveiled a Web site, www.ed.gov/misused, that offers advice on how to prevent identity theft — the stealing of personal information — and how to respond to it.

The department has created several ways for people to report trouble, including a hot line, (800) MIS-USED, and an e-mail address, oig.hotline@ed.gov.

College students are particularly vulnerable, the department says, because of the many ways they share Social Security numbers or other personal information, such as in applying for credit cards and loans, buying items online or having their course grades posted by professors.

Education Secretary Rod Paige said that while most students are well informed about how to protect their physical safety and belongings — walking in well-lit areas, traveling in groups, locking doors — they're less aware about how to secure their name and their record.

Information thieves can use stolen data to make purchases, rack up debt and even obtain a job under someone else's name, leaving it up to the victim to deal with poor credit ratings and other consequences.

Some fraud cases have involved federal education loans.

The department advises students to request credit reports annually and shred unwanted credit-card applications before tossing them.

I.D. numbers restricted

Meanwhile, the Internal Revenue Service, responding to concerns about potential security risks, yesterday tightened restrictions on identification numbers issued to taxpayers who are ineligible for Social Security numbers.

The agency, which warned states over the summer not to trust the identification numbers as someone's form of personal identification, said the restrictions are intended to make sure the numbers are only used for tax administration.

People without Social Security numbers get individual taxpayer identification numbers, or ITINs, so the IRS can keep track of tax returns. Since 1996, 7 million of these nine-digit numbers, which begin with a nine, have been issued.

"About one-quarter of the ITINs issued for tax return purposes never actually find their way onto a tax return," said IRS Commissioner Mark Everson.

As a result of the new restrictions, taxpayers needing an ITIN must submit their application with a completed tax return. Applications without proof of tax needs will be rejected, the IRS said.

The IRS this summer sent letters to all 50 states reminding them of potential security risks in accepting the numbers as personal I.D.