Colleges Strive to Prevent Identity Theft

An Associated Press article dated April 19, 2005 discusses how several colleges in Illinois (and across the nation) are taking steps to prevent student identity theft. At many colleges, Social Security numbers are being replaced with school-assigned numbers on campus ID cards, billing statements, and other documents. Would-be thieves cannot use a student's campus ID number to illegally apply for credit cards, which is a common use for stolen Social Security numbers. An increasing number of colleges are using student Social Security numbers only as they are required for the administration of federal programs, such as financial aid. Many colleges have also significantly reduced the number of staff who have access to confidential student information. Nearly 10 million Americans were the victims of identity theft last year.

The article is available at the Daily Herald (Chicago suburbs) Web site.