Nicole Miller said she is protective of her personal items because she knows how easily identity theft can happen.
About 9.9 million identity-theft cases were reported last year, affecting 4.6 percent of the population, according to the Federal Trade Commissions' Identity Theft Survey Report. The report's data also shows a growing trend in identity theft.
Back in high school, Miller said her sister experienced theft after her purse was stolen and $1,000 was charged on her credit card.
Since then, Miller, a UNM sophomore, puts her purse away when she goes to class and keeps an eye on it at all times. She never carries her wallet with more than a few dollars in it.
"My trusting of the goodness of people is a lot lower," Miller said.
There has only been one case of assumed identity reported at UNM in the past year and a half, said UNMPD Lt. James Daniels.
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With identity theft on the rise, the University has been making changes to protect students' personal information.
For about three years, the student ID office has been printing random numbers on students' ID cards, instead of printing their Social Security numbers.
"We don't print their Social Security number to protect their privacy," said Minerva Carrera, manager of ID Card Services.
Carrera said it took about five years to get the Social Security number off the ID cards and work still needs to be done. She said that now they are starting to give employees unique numbers instead of using their Social Security number to identify them.
"It took some convincing," Carrera said. "There was more hesitation on the part of employees."
She said the office has been making a transition into not using Social Security numbers on employee identification cards.
Carrera added that they made an investment in card readers and distributed them to departments so that people would not have to mention their numbers.
The Lobo card office will also replace any card for free that has a Social Security number on it.
On its Web site, the FTC recommends people order a copy of their credit report every year from one of the three major credit bureaus to catch and prevent identity theft.
It also says to protect personal information kept at home, especially if other people, like roommates have access to that information. The site warns to guard your trash as well as your mail, to ask about security procedures at work and to never carry your Social Security card.
The FTC also recommends only giving out your Social Security number when absolutely necessary and if you are asked for your Social Security number, ask why that information is necessary and how it will be used before giving the number.
"Protect it," Carrera said. "It's really something you don't want in the wrong people's hands."
