August has finally come, and now is the time to seriously start preparing for the back-to-school ritual whether that be online for those who are still doing remote learning from home or sending your grown child off to their first year of college. Regardless of the age of your child, student identity fraud is often ignored because there is a sense that a young person’s identity has less to offer a thief than does someone else who is above the age of eighteen. The reality of the situation, however, is that criminals who are seeking to take advantage of this information can obtain and use many students’ personal data for the criminal’s personal gain. No matter your view on it, all data is precious.
Efforts of criminals to steal your child’s identity can be successfully obstructed by taking precautionary steps. Contact a school official and inquire as to what details the school holds on/about your child and what aspects of that they are sharing with other organizations. Be aware that some schools are controlled by confidentiality regulations. If the school has shared information about your child with other organizations, find out with whom they are sharing this information and how to stop this information leak. To ensure that you have done your job on behalf of your child, make a request for the school’s reply in writing to keep for your records.
Is your student a minor? Make sure that the school is not allowing agencies, other schools, private businesses, or agents of the school to request permission from your student for these other entities to access the student’s record as the student does not yet possess the understanding of what they would be consenting to.
Does the school have contracts with third parties for things that seem inconsequential like photographers and yearbook companies? Request a copy of the privacy policy in place with those companies. If the school and the third-party companies have not drawn up a privacy policy, withdraw permission for your student to be photographed. If the school uses student ID cards, it may be difficult to ensure the safety of your child and their identity, but policies must be put in place. Note that confidentiality practices are not applicable for when the school sponsors public events, which include athletic competitions, school concerts, science fairs, and plays.
The last thing that you should do with your child in order to protect them is to talk to them directly about this important topic. Share with your child the dangers of sharing personal information on social media. Education on this is key!
LibertyID provides expert, full service, fully managed identity theft restoration to individuals, couples, extended families* and businesses. LibertyID has a 100% success rate in resolving all forms of identity fraud on behalf of our subscribers.
*Extended families – primary individual, their spouse/partner, both sets of parents (including those that have been deceased for up to a year), and all children under the age of 25