Identity thieves are just as excited as students are when they're going back to school, ScamBusters.org warned us. Don't learn it the hard way! This fall, the benefits of higher education will draw students to U.S. colleges and universities in record numbers. Unfortunately, once they arrive, many will also learn about Identity Theft -- at the School of Hard Knocks.

    ScamBusters.org is a public service that has been helping people protect themselves from Internet fraud. The company offers a free weekly email newsletter that shows you how to protect yourself from cunning scammers -- online and offline. ScamBusters.org offers a lively, entertaining and opinionated approach to avoiding the most popular scams, viruses, spyware, phishing scams, identity theft ploys, credit card fraud schemes, and urban legends making the rounds.

    There are many characteristics that make the college students especially vulnerable. For example, most college students are just establishing a credit history -- so they're likely to have a clean credit record if they have one at all," says Dr. Lanford. "College students are also often very casual with sensitive personal and financial information. That can be a problem if your dorm room is a popular hangout, and some of these visitors are less than honest." Another major identity theft risk factor: credit card companies market heavily to college students. Many students throw away credit card applications without shredding them. This is very dangerous, says ScamBusters.org, because it's so easy for an identity thief to apply for credit in someone else's name -- sometimes all they need is a discarded credit card application and a "change of address" form.

    ScamBusters.org has created a new free report called "The College Student's Guide to Identity Theft: What every college student must know about identity theft," in order to make college students and their parents aware of these problems. Among the free tips we can find:

    1. If your college, university, or health insurance provider uses your Social Security number (SSN) as an identification number, request that you be assigned a random ID number instead. And never give out your SSN unless it is truly required.
    2. Don't reveal personal information online in a user profile or on your MySpace, FaceBook, Flickr, YouTube or other social networking page. And never send personal data in an unencrypted email.
    3. Never leave sensitive personal information (bank or credit card statements, your driver's license, Social Security number, etc.) where a roommate, friend, or visitor has access to it. Keep it in a locked file drawer or small safe.

More information can be found here: http://www.scambusters.org/identitytheft/collegestudentsguide.html.