Graduate student Tonya Miller Bailey was at The Lockeroom Wednesday night when her purse with her credit card, her money and other personal items was stolen.
Fortunately, the thief, a Ball State premed student, was chased down by the bartender, Bailey said.
When she got her purse back, Bailey said, all her cash was gone, and her credit cards were still intact, but the thief could have written down Bailey's card number and the expiration date, which is all that is needed to access her account.
"You can become victims of identity theft just like that," Rod Russell said Thursday in the Alumni Center as he snapped his fingers to demonstrate how just how fast. "It is easier for us in law enforcement to solve a murder than an identity theft case."
Anywhere that an exchange of information takes place, identity theft can happen, he said.
"Technology has perpetuated the problem of identity theft so greatly, it's unbelievable," Russell said, "and it is your responsibility to prove you're the victim."
Students should avoid putting their Social Security number on their checks and driver's licenses, he said. If someone asks for the number, ask them why they need it and what they are going to do with it.
"If you have more than one credit card, you've got one too many," Russell said because 88 percent of identity fraud happens through credit card theft.
Identity thieves can intercept cordless and cellular phone calls to steal students' credit card numbers, if students are ordering by phone, he said.
Instead of signing the back of a credit card, which Russell said is not required, people should write with a black maker "Ask for I.D." on the front and back of the card to encourage cashier's to ask for identification.
If he cannot see the place where restaurant servers takes his card to swipe it after a meal, he will follow them and swipe it himself. Russell said servers cannot use a personal magnetic strip reader to swipe his card to obtain his personal information if he is standing next to them.
The outdoor credit card payment option at gas stations uses radio waves to send the information inside the station, Russell said. But by doing this, a thief can intercept the information by sitting in the parking lot with the proper equipment.
The oldest scam happens when students send their bills by mail in their mailboxes, he said. Students should avoid putting personal information on their mail, and they should shread all junk mail.
"When you put that flag up, that's what it is: a big red flag saying, 'Come and get me,'" he said.
Internet identity theft affects students because they have grown up with the technology and use it more often, he said. However, he was a victim of identity theft while on vacation in Florida. He learned that his account number was one of 4,999 account numbers stolen from his company's database.
"When you're down there on the beach and sipping your margaritas and flipping the plastic to pay, be very, very careful," he said. "Sure it's inconvenient, but it's the safe bet."
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