Amanda DioGuardi had her identity stolen two years ago. When she started receiving emails from AARP, her father looked into her credit score.
“Someone was able to sign my name on a mortgage even though I was only 16 at the time,” the 18-year-old public relations sophomore said.
More and more college students like DioGuardi are having their identities stolen.
According to a 2013 report by the Federal Trade Commission, about 20 percent of 20-to- 29-year-olds filed identity theft complaints.
Susan Blair, UF’s chief privacy officer, warns students about putting their personal information online.
“More than 50 percent of individuals who post personal information on Facebook experience some form of identity theft,” she wrote in an email.
UF spokeswoman Janine Sikes said the university invested in software that blocks hackers from obtaining any personal information.
“We have 50,000 students and 20,000 to 30,000 employees,” she said, “which makes us a prime target for hackers.”
Kelsey Torgerson, a 21-year-old UF political science senior, had her credit card number stolen in August. She said a man replicated her card and used it at Target, where the store caught the entire transaction on video.
“I am just fortunate to have had a funny feeling in my gut that encouraged me to check my online statement that same day,” Torgerson said.
[A version of this story ran on page 5 on 9/10/2014 under the headline "Students at identity theft risk"]
