2008 Woodie Awards
Lakeland Students are Sitting Ducks
Quack thieves steal social security numbers, indentities
James Shafstall
Issue date: 2/19/04 Section: Opinions
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Identity theft is when someone uses another person's name, social security number, bank account number, or other information to commit crimes or spend money in another's name. Wisconsin lawmakers took an active approach to the growing problem by enacting 1997 Wisconsin Act 128, which states, "The school board or governing body shall not assign to any pupil an identification number that is identical to or incorporates the pupil's social security number."
Apparently this law does not apply to private schools, as Lakeland is still using students' social security numbers for identification.
According to the Federal Trade Commission, the number of identity thefts reported in the United States grew from 86,212 in 2001 to 214,905 in 2003. Personal information was heavily misused by criminals, most commonly by bank and credit card fraud. Once a criminal gets someone's social security number, they can use it to find other information, like the victim's name and date of birth, and then use this information to open a credit card account. The thief will then make purchases and not pay the bill, often ruining the victim's credit.
The Lakeland College Campus would be fertile grounds from which to harvest fresh social security numbers if one was looking for them. Every time Lakeland students show their identification cards or use them to make purchases, they increase their chances of becoming victims. The main campus of Lakeland College is somewhat of an idyllic oasis, and in living there it can be easy to forget that unscrupulous eyes could be watching at any moment. Social security numbers are exchanged constantly on campus; a tree that bears such easily picked fruits will not be left untouched.
Technology is constantly making advances, many of which can be useful tools for the ambitious criminal. Names with social security numbers written next to them are habitually left lying around on office desks throughout the campus, exposed unprotected to whoever walks in the door. Using a cellular phone with a built-in digital camera, a thief could quickly snap a shot of one of these sheets and pick up one or a whole list of names matched with social security numbers.
The same thing could have happened at the first convocation of the 2003-2004 school year when students were required to sign their names and student identification (social security) numbers on a list, which was open for the world to view.
It can take years for a victim to fix his or her credit record in the wake of being victimized. Since many insurance companies, employers and money lending institutions use credit reports tools for evaluation, having credit ruined by a criminal can have far-reaching implications.
While the rest of the world is becoming savvy and taking steps to protect themselves, Lakeland College maintains the naivety of an overprotected schoolgirl when it comes to student identification methods.
Apparently this law does not apply to private schools, as Lakeland is still using students' social security numbers for identification.
According to the Federal Trade Commission, the number of identity thefts reported in the United States grew from 86,212 in 2001 to 214,905 in 2003. Personal information was heavily misused by criminals, most commonly by bank and credit card fraud. Once a criminal gets someone's social security number, they can use it to find other information, like the victim's name and date of birth, and then use this information to open a credit card account. The thief will then make purchases and not pay the bill, often ruining the victim's credit.
The Lakeland College Campus would be fertile grounds from which to harvest fresh social security numbers if one was looking for them. Every time Lakeland students show their identification cards or use them to make purchases, they increase their chances of becoming victims. The main campus of Lakeland College is somewhat of an idyllic oasis, and in living there it can be easy to forget that unscrupulous eyes could be watching at any moment. Social security numbers are exchanged constantly on campus; a tree that bears such easily picked fruits will not be left untouched.
Technology is constantly making advances, many of which can be useful tools for the ambitious criminal. Names with social security numbers written next to them are habitually left lying around on office desks throughout the campus, exposed unprotected to whoever walks in the door. Using a cellular phone with a built-in digital camera, a thief could quickly snap a shot of one of these sheets and pick up one or a whole list of names matched with social security numbers.
The same thing could have happened at the first convocation of the 2003-2004 school year when students were required to sign their names and student identification (social security) numbers on a list, which was open for the world to view.
It can take years for a victim to fix his or her credit record in the wake of being victimized. Since many insurance companies, employers and money lending institutions use credit reports tools for evaluation, having credit ruined by a criminal can have far-reaching implications.
While the rest of the world is becoming savvy and taking steps to protect themselves, Lakeland College maintains the naivety of an overprotected schoolgirl when it comes to student identification methods.