Many college students are now immersed in their studies may not realize they are some of the most vulnerable when it comes to identity theft and fraud.
Dan Hendrickson is with the Better Business Bureau of Minnesota and North Dakota. He says there are a couple of new scams coming up that specifically target college students. In one scam, a student is called and told they owe taxes on their tuition - which isn't true. He says another scam threatens arrest.
"What they'll do first is kind of rattle off a bunch of information about the student - their address, maybe where they've attended school, and seem to have some pretty good information. Then at the end of that, once the student either says 'yes that's me' or 'no that doesn't sound right,' in either case, the caller will say 'well, you owe a one time fee of $1,600 and if you don't pay it we're going to arrest you.' Of course, these calls are not legitimate - there are no one time fees, any fees are rolled into tuition fees, and students should be aware that these calls are fraudulent."
Hendrickson says there are a number of things students can do to protect themselves from fraud. He says they should have sensitive mail sent to a PO Box or to their parent's home address, store important documents under lock and key, and to never loan credit or debit cards to anyone. He also says it's a good idea to have up-to-date virus software installed on computers and phones, and bank accounts should always be monitored for suspicious activity.