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Cornel West and Princeton Part Ways

Public intellectual and civil rights activist Cornel West is leaving Princeton University this summer to return to Union Theological Seminary in New York –where he started out as an assistant professor in 1977.

Dr. West will teach philosophy and Christian practices at Union.

“I don’t have that much time, and I want to be able to do precisely what I’m called to do,” West said.

Read more at The Root…

No End in Sight for Foreclosure Crisis

The nation is less than halfway through its foreclosure crisis, according to the Center for Responsible Lending report released Thursday.

Roughly 42.2 million Americans took out a mortgage loan between 2004 and 2008.  By February of this year, 2.7 million households, or 6.4 %, had lost their homes to foreclosure. CRL estimates that an additional 3.6 million households, or 8.3 %, are at “immediate, serious risk” of losing their homes.

Read more at the Huffington Post…

White House Shooting Suspect Arrested

The four day search for the person suspected of firing shots from an assault rifle at the White House came to an end Wednesday.

Oscar Ramiro Ortega-Hernandez, 21, was arrested at a hotel near Indiana, Pa. after being spotted by a hotel desk clerk. He is scheduled to make his first court appearance in federal court on Thursday.

Gunfire was reported close to 9 p.m. Friday, south of the White House, the Secret Service said.  Upon investigation, they found two bullets struck the president’s residence. The Obama family was not home at the time of the shooting.

Read more at USA Today…

Persecution of Federal Fraud at 20-Year Low

It’s safe to say Wall Street is on front street these days.

But despite the public mistrust of banks, federal prosecutions for various financial crimes are the lowest they’ve been in two decades.

The federal government will file 1,365 prosecutions for financial institution fraud in 2011, according to the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse at Syracuse University.

The TRAC report notes that 2011′s relatively low number of financial fraud prosecutions is only the continuation of a trend spanning more than a decade.

Read more at the Huffington Post…

Black Girls Rock!’ scores high ratings

Black Girls Rock!, a television special celebrating the not for profit organization that provides mentoring to young, black girls, scored top ratings in black households.

It ranked second to a NFL regular season football game with over 1.9 million viewers.

Black Girls Rock! ratings beat out the highly popular The Real Housewives of Atlanta and Basketball Wives of L.A.

Read more at The Grio…

Tyler Perry Stands Behind Decision to Cast Kim Kardashian

Tyler Perry defends his decision to cast reality TV star and recent divorcee Kim Kardashian in his new film despite the barrage of backlash.

Perry announced Kardashian would have a role in his upcoming film
The Marriage Counselor just days before she ended her 72-day marriage to NBA star Kris Humphries. To many fans, the decision was malapropos.

In a recent statement, Perry asked fans to hear him out as he explained the premise of the movie. The director/producer said he wanted a younger cast to attract younger viewers.

Read more at CBS News…

“A check for $602 written to Home Depot had cleared my account,” says Washington, 34. “Someone took my bank routing and account numbers and duplicated my check by sending the information to a mail-order check company. Then the criminal wrote the fraudulent check to Home Depot.”

Washington filed a report with Bank of America, which refunded her money within two days, including overdraft fees.

Approximately 71% of organizations experienced attempted or actual payment fraud in 2010, according to the Association of Financial Professionals. Legislation such as Dodd–Frank,  the CARD Act, and  the Fair Credit Billing Act have been helpful to consumers with credit cards, but the rules undergirding fraud protection remain inadequate for bank cards: The protections for debit cards under the Electronic Fund Transfer Act are much weaker than those for credit cards. “A lost or stolen debit card is typically a much bigger headache (and a more expensive loss for the cardholder) than a lost or stolen credit card,” says Joe Ridout, consumer services manager for Consumer Action, a financial education organization.

It’s important to understand how criminals steal banking information. Many use cell phone-sized devices with a magnetic strip called a skimmer to retrieve data from your bank card. Skimmers can be used at an ATM, gas pump, and even at a restaurant. Hidden cameras and Dumpster diving are other means.

“If you discover that someone has wiped out your bank account, call the bank immediately. Contact anyone who gets automatic payments such as mortgage and insurance companies, to explain that payments may be late or not go through,” advises Justin Pritchard, a certified financial planner and banking expert at About.com. “You may want to get a letter from the bank saying you were a victim of fraud, and provide police reports to anybody you’ve paid late. It could be harmful to your credit if you don’t document the fraud,”  says Pritchard.

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Identity theft begins with access to personal information found on mail, credit cards, identification, and other documents. Leverage online banking and sign up for electronic delivery of information to avoid receiving account statements or canceled checks in the mail. Also be aware of phishing scams where fraudsters send fake correspondence to get you to give out your bank account number.

“Sign up for direct deposit to have paychecks, dividends, tax refunds, and other deposits sent directly to your bank account,” advises Geri Thomas, SVP, Global Diversity and Inclusion Executive and Georgia Market President for Bank of America.

Avoid unfamiliar websites, use a shredder, sign up for e-mail or text alerts from your bank, and place a lock on your mailbox. Also avoid clicking on links saying they’re from your bank. Instead, go to your bank’s website and log in to your account.

“It’s important to protect your debit card because it can be more dangerous than a credit card. Under federal law, credit cards have more protection. If you don’t report a debit card stolen within two days, you can be responsible for $500 in charges. After 60 days, it is unlimited,” cautions Ridout.

To reduce your chances of becoming a victim, be on the lookout for these red flags:

• If you see misspelled words when banking online, or receive a request for your Social Security number when you already have an account. Alert the bank immediately.

• You’re at the ATM and the card swipe looks altered, the machine is not under camera surveillance, or people are lingering around. Leave quickly and report this to bank officials. If you’d like to file criminal charges, you can, but the bank will likely conduct its own investigation. “If you know the person that has stolen from you such as a roommate or relative, you can tip the cops off and file charges. Other than that, I would have the bank handle the investigation,” says Pritchard.

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For weeks, maybe even months, you’ve been systematically job searching.  But now your savings have dwindled down to mere dollars, you have no promising leads, and your rent is due in less than two weeks. Desperation and panic start to set in, so you apply for anything—waiter, dog walker, personal assistant—and quickly get an e-mail response. However, the company doesn’t provide a contact person, the pay seems too high for the position, and you’re asked to provide your bank information so you can immediately be put on payroll.

Suspicious?  You should be.  These are all signs pointing to a job scam.

As millions of job seekers scour the Internet in search of work, identity theft through online job scams and overexposure of personal information has become more prevalent.  As of July, 13.9 million people in the U.S. were unemployed, with blacks leading with an unemployment rate of more than 16%, compared with Hispanics (11.3%) and whites (8%). According to the Society for Human Resource Management’s survey for August 2011, job growth will decrease in the manufacturing and service sectors and hiring will also decline. In this bleak job market people try to give themselves a competitive edge by appearing everywhere online and divulging personal information to potential employers, but this can lead to identity theft.

Identity thieves use creative tactics to lure victims, like posting ads that offer little information about the company or opportunity, but inquire heavily about one’s personal information, including driver’s license and Social Security numbers. To protect yourself, here are five tips for decreasing your risk of identity theft as a job seeker:

Never include vital identity and financial information on your resume and cover letter, in e-mail correspondences or with job site accounts: Social Security number, date of birth, driver’s license, bank account information, credit card information.

Research the company. Check the website using a new window.  Make sure it has a physical address.  Find out how long it’s been in business, if it’s licensed, and if it’s linked to any applicant or customer complaints.

Set up a separate e-mail account for job search use only. Be sure to use a different username and password from those used for your personal email account.

Keep track of where you post your resumes, including job boards and recruitment agencies. It’s also important to remember what positions you apply for and for what companies, which not only helps keep your job seeking process less stressful and more organized, but ensures you know what information is out there and where.

Don’t sign up for third party offers when you register for employment sites or create accounts on a business’s site when applying for a position. This increases your online visibility, making you more susceptible to identity theft.

Many small businesses get defrauded from the inside. Here's how to protect yourself.

Deliberate fraud costs companies an estimated 5% – 6% of revenues each year. And small businesses are often victims of such unethical behavior—particularly during lean times where employees serve in multiple roles and a smaller staff means less oversight. According to Joseph W. Koletar, a former FBI agent who now serves as a private sector fraud investigator, there are simple steps a small business owner can take to reduce his or her likelihood of falling victim to an employee looking to defraud the company.

Koletar, author of Rethinking Risk: How Companies Sabotage Themselves and What They Must do Differently (AMACOM, $29.95), points out that most perpetrators of corporate fraud do so not out of necessity but greed. He says the typical fraud perpetrator is between 45 and 55 years old, more than 90% of them have no criminal record, and 65% have college degrees. Another interesting factoid: Most have been with their company 10 to 15 years. “They’re not career criminals,” he says. “They’re your average, middle-class people who live in nice suburbs, love their kids and coach soccer.”

So what’s a small businesses owner to do? Here are a few things Koletar says entrepreneurs should be aware of:

Resources are available. Among them is the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners. Founded by a former FBI agent in 1989, the ACFE offers training, certification, conferences, and they publish a number of books geared toward small businesses. Another resource is the National White Collar Crime Center, which provides training, investigative support and research to agencies and entities involved in the prevention, investigation and prosecution of economic and high-tech crime.

Know the division of responsibilities. If an employee or group of employees has access to a company’s finances, make sure that there’s always a good degree of oversight over them. Koletar says there was a case where an employee added a fictitious staffer to the company’s payroll, maxed out that imaginary person’s deductibles, and collected a refund from the IRS!

View bank statements. Each month, have your company bank statement sent to your house, not your office. “That way you can look at it and say ‘Gee, we sent a check out on July 22 and I never heard of this company,’” says Koletar. “If one person is in charge of everything, they can play games.”

Use the exit interview. “The exit interview is normally very perfunctory—hand in your employee card, sign some paper work, and walk out the door,” Koletar says. But employers should take the opportunity to ask the departing employee some basic questions about his or her colleagues, such as whether they noticed any disturbing behavior about their co-workers, recommends Koletar. “You might not get anything, but you may learn that Bob in accounting has a gambling problem and may be playing games with company money.”

CEO: Banks Need to Lend ‘Outside the Box’

Walker

As Carolyn Walker, president and CEO of the Maryland-based TDP L.L.C., listened to banking regulators opine Wednesday morning at a Senate small business roundtable discussion on identifying obstacles and exploring solutions in small business lending, an unsettling notion came to mind: They simply don’t get it.

TDP provides training, development, and program management primarily to government clients, including the U.S. Census Bureau, for which it is managing a multi-million dollar contract to train employees at Census data capture centers in Baltimore and Phoenix. The bureau liked TDP’s work so much, it soon increased the contract from $2.1 million to more than $3 million. But to begin the contract, Walker needed to hire additional staff, and despite her strong credit history, loan requests were denied. She was forced to put together what she described as “hybrid financing” from various sources.

Most lenders, Walker laments, are wary of extending credit to firms that don’t have hard assets that can be used as collateral, and those that specialize in receivables financing take advantage of small businesses.

“Moving forward this country’s success is going to be in the space of technology and service providers. That’s where the innovation is, where the growth is, and where the opportunities are–not only in the U.S. but globally,” Walker said. Bankers and regulators don’t seem to understand how service-based companies operate or how to properly assess their viability or profitability.

Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-Louisiana), who chairs the small business panel, agrees with Walker and says banks should figure it out quickly. A paradigm shift is taking place in the business world and if banks can’t figure out how to lend on firms like TDP that are based on brainpower and technology, “We’ll never get out of this box,” she said.

Tim Scott Giving Thurmond Strong Fight for S.C. Congressional Seat

Scott

Tim Scott, the top vote-getter in a South Carolina primary race to fill the 1st Congressional District seat, may actually have a fighting chance to beat political legacy Paul Thurmond, son of the late Sen. Strom Thurmond, during their June 22 runoff. In this week’s primary, the first-term state representative won 30.6% of the vote to Thurmond’s 16.4%. And if he wins the November contest against African American Democrat Ben Frasier, Scott would be the first black Republican to serve in the House since Rep. J.C. Watts (R-Oklahoma) retired in 2003.

What are the chances? Republican House aide Darrell Jordan is optimistic. “Scott’s very sincere; he’s conservative, which matches that district; and he has ideas and solutions. He’s not just a politician who will spout off a bunch of Republican talking points,” Jordan said. More important, he’s worked his way through the system, Jordan added. “People have already seen him in action.”

David Bositis, senior political analyst at the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, says that Scott’s success will depend in part on whether race is introduced into the campaign. After all, he says, the South is famous for having begun the practice of runoffs in the first place to prevent black candidates from winning office.

Scott probably has a decent shot, but it would not be surprising if someone aligned with Thurmond used race to wean off some of the black Republican’s support. “That’s the way it works,” Bositis notes.Financial Services Reform Conference Committee Now in Session

Black lawmakers are prominently represented on the conference committee comprised that will reconcile the House and Senate versions of a financial regulatory reform bill. They include Maxine Waters (D-California), Mel Watt (D-North Carolina), and Gregory Meeks (D-New York), who are chair Financial Services subcommittees, as well as Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers (D-Michigan) and Oversight and Government Reform Chairman Edolphus Towns (D-New York).

Watt said that while he and the other black lawmakers will fight for protections such as minority representation at each regulatory office “to serve as a watchdog and reminder that people need to do better” and a Consumer Financial Protection Agency, African Americans need to pay attention to as many aspects of the bill as possible.

“We’re an integral part of the economy and this meltdown has substantially and adversely and disproportionately impacted us, so there’s not a section of this bill that we’re not involved in,” he said. “Most of my constituents don’t feel like they know a lot about derivatives and CDOs and those sorts of things, but these things impact them if they as taxpayers end up having to pick up the bill for them.”

Click here to view coverage of the conference hearings.

In the meantime, the Senate is still trying to muster up enough support to pass the American Jobs and Closing Tax Loopholes Act. In addition to some Democrats, moderate Maine Republican senators Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins are balking at increasing deficit spending and want to see more offsets to pay for the measure.

So far, says Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, the provisions that the Congressional Black Caucus fought for, such funding for youth summer jobs and compensation for black farmers, are safe.

Clyburn Calls for Investigation of S.C. Candidates

Clyburn

When it comes to politics, South Carolina is the sort of place where almost anything can happen, and this week, a few things did.

Something is terribly amiss, House Majority Whip James Clyburn (D-South Carolina) said Thursday afternoon, and he’s calling on both state and federal authorities to investigate suspicious congressional campaigns run by black candidates.

Political observers have been most abuzz over unemployed veteran Alvin Greene, the state’s improbable Democratic candidate for the U.S. Senate. Greene, who has no website, staff, signs, or semblance of a real campaign, stunned the party when he won 100,000 votes in Tuesday’s primary and again when the news emerged that he’s facing a criminal felony obscenity charge. Aside from the $10,400 filing fee he paid in March, Greene’s so-called campaign hasn’t made any other expenditure or filed, Federal Election Commission reports. Greene says he has no intention of stepping aside from the November face-off against Republican U.S. Sen. Jim DeMint.

“How can anybody who’s unemployed just plop down $10,000 and all of a sudden spend no money and get nominated?” Clyburn wondered. He suspects that Greene is someone’s plant. “When I heard that he was in fact accused of a felony, I just felt that this was 1990 all over again.”

Clyburn was referring to the year Benjamin Hunt Jr., an unemployed black fisherman, ran for Congress in a primary against incumbent GOP Rep. Arthur Ravenel, Jr. It turned out that political consultant Rod Shealy, who wanted to increase turnout for his sister’s bid for lieutenant governor, had paid Hunt’s filing fee.

Should you trust this guy with your stuff?

Whether you’re relocating to another state for a new job or moving into your dream home, you should be aware of moving scams. I should know; I’ve experienced my own moving mishap. When I was preparing to move into a new place not long after graduating from college, I blindly picked movers out of a phone book. Big mistake. I was hit with hidden fees on the day of the move. I was moving into a walk-up apartment building, so when I spoke to the moving company over the phone they mentioned an additional fee of $50 per flight. But once we got to my new digs, one mover said flatly, “You know we charge $100 per flight, right?” He claimed the prices recently changed. I was very young and very naïve—and much too shocked to protest—so I ran to the nearest ATM.  My final price was $400 more than the original estimate. They held my personal belongings hostage until I came back with the cash.

In light of my experience, I’m not surprised that the Better Business Bureau says it received more than 8,400 complaints against movers last year. The top complaints were about damaged items and final prices higher than the original quote. Fortunately, there are ways to reduce your chances of getting scammed by movers. I wish I knew then what I know now, and that I had followed these three tips recommend by the Better Business Bureau:

Check a mover’s credentials. All interstate movers must be licensed by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. Once receiving a license from this organization, the mover will receive a motor carrier number, which can be verified at protectyourmove.gov. It would be in your best interest to get this number and check it. In addition, check the ratings for the company at the Better Business Bureau Website. Don’t do business with any company that has less than a satisfactory rating.

Get three in-home estimates. Never accept a firm estimate online or over the phone. If the mover insists on this approach, it’s a red flag and a clear sign to move on to the next company. How can they properly assess the cost of the move if they’ve never seen your house? Make sure to have at least three moving companies come to your home for an estimate. Also make sure that the lowest estimate is actually realistic. Do your research and compare prices. You don’t want any surprises at the end of the day.

Know what you’re entitled to. Research and learn your consumer rights in your current state as well as the state you are moving to. If your rights are violated or the moving company does not fulfill its promise, reach out to the Better Business Bureau or law enforcement. The American Moving and Storage Association Website has answers to frequently asked questions that address how to file a complaint and settle disputes. The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Website, Protect Your Move, has an extensive list of your rights and responsibilities as a consumer when you move.

Sheiresa Ngo is the Consumer Affairs Editor at Black Enterprise.

If a census worker shows up at your door, to protect your I.D., be sure to check theirs.

It’s that time again. The deadline to submit your census form is drawing near—April 1, to be exact. But that won’t stop scammers from making a last ditch effort to pull a fast one on you. I spoke with Scott Stevenson, an identity theft expert and president and CEO of eliminateidtheft.com, who says now is the time to be especially watchful. “Any time there’s a large-scale data mining operation, such as tax returns or in this case, census data mining, there’s an opportunity for con artists to steal your personal information and commit fraud and identity theft,” says Stevenson. Here are four tips to keep you and your information safe.

Be leery of visitors. If you fail to fill out and return your survey, it’s possible that a census worker will come to your house. However, you should not allow that person to gain entrance into your home. Census workers are never allowed to enter a resident’s home. If a worker knocks on your door, before you do anything, ask to see his or her official photo ID and call your local census office to confirm the information is correct.   

Don’t give up your money. The Census Bureau does not ask for payment for filling out and returning the form. They will also never ask for donations. If someone claiming to be a census worker asks you for money, this is a red flag.

Keep an eye on your e-mail. Another thing that the Census Bureau won’t do is send you an e-mail asking for financial or personal information or about participating in the survey. They state on their Website that the 2010 census will not be conducted via the Internet and they don’t send e-mails regarding the survey. If you’ve received an e-mail from an organization claiming to be the Census Bureau, immediately forward it to the Census Bureau’s fraud reporting e-mail address, which is ITSO.Fraud.Reporting@census.gov.

Pay attention to your questionnaire. Sometimes scammers will send fake forms in the mail. Make sure there are only 10 questions on your form. There should be no questions asking for your Social Security number, bank account number, or pass words. If this is the case, you have a fake form and you should immediately contact the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and fill out a mail fraud complaint form. It would also be a good idea to go to the Census Bureau’s Website and familiarize yourself with the questions on the form. Also pay attention to the questions that someone claiming to be a census worker asks you if you get a home visit.  “They will never ask for your social security number, bank account information, credit card information, or financial documents. If they come to your door and start asking questions that are not on the census form, they’re probably a con artist,” says Stevenson.

“It seems so simple,” Stevenson continues. “You get a form, you fill it out, and you send it in. But whenever there is some sort of confusion or deception that can come into play, you’re going to see criminals take advantage of that. Even though it seems very easy to fill this form out, the ways con artists can deceive you can be confusing and there can be chaos.”

So as you hurry to fill out that census form and mail it in, be on guard.

Sheiresa Ngo is the consumer affairs editor at Black Enterprise.

Unfortunately, family members putting utilities, credit cards, and even loans in their children’s names is not uncommon. Oftentimes, the children never find out about the offense until years later.

If you are trapped in this tangled web, the first thing you need to do is contact the creditors “you” owe, says Sonya Smith-Valentine, a lawyer who specializes in identity theft and credit fraud. Smith-Valentine represented a client who went through a situation similar to Jon’s. He was able to show the companies his birth certificate, proving that he was a minor when the transactions occurred, showing that he could not have possibly made the purchases.

Smith-Valentine stresses the importance of writing the creditors and not just calling. If you know a family member made the purchases, detail this information and include a copy of your birth certificate to clearly show that you were a minor during the transactions in question, and also point out your minor status in the letter. You should also send a copy of the letter to all the credit reporting agencies—Experian, Equifax and Transunion. Smith-Valentine also recommends that you keep copies of all the letters you send, and that you send them via certified mail.

If the initial letter and phone call to customer service yield no results, go to the top. “Spend a little time doing a quick Google search to find the office of the president,” says Smith-Valentine. Send another letter—via certified mail—and include a copy of the initial letter you sent to customer service. If you can, include even more information about the problem you are trying to resolve. “Go to the boss, the head boss. It cuts down on time and some of the frustration,” adds Smith-Valentine. “When you start at the top, they can fix it.”

Third, figure out which federal agency regulates the financial institution/creditor that is holding you responsible for repayment. If it’s a bank, chances are it is regulated by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency or the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC). You can file a complaint on the agency’s Website. To figure out the agency you need to turn to, visit www.HelpWithMyBank.gov.

Identity theft isn’t always committed by some unknown thief. Unfortunately, it is sometimes committed by a trusted brother, sister, mom, or dad—someone who has access to your social security number and personal information. If you discover that this is the case, cut off the line of credit immediately. Often, when this type of offense is committed by a family member, we allow them to placate us with “I’m going to pay you back” or “Don’t worry about it, it’s going to be paid off.” But you must be proactive and salvage what you can of your credit before it gets any further out of hand—family or not.

If this has happened to you, you’re going to need to file a police report and fill out affidavits to help prove to creditors that you did not rack up the charges, says Smith-Valentine. How to prove your innocence is a case-by-case basis. “If you were in school and the charges were made in a different state, show it. Provide your class schedule and other information to prove that you were out of state attending school,” says Smith-Valentine.

When you file a police report and identity theft affidavit, understand what it means. “You’re going to have to say you’re willing to assist in the prosecution of the family member,” says Smith-Valentine. While the likelihood of prosecution is very slim, says Smith-Valentine—she has only experienced one instance in her 12 years practice—it’s still a possibility. “If you’re not willing to prosecute, the creditors are going to think you were involved.”

At what point do you seek legal representation?
If you’ve written the creditor, called their customer service department, and contacted the company’s headquarters and little to nothing has been done, it may be time for you to seek legal counsel. Smith-Valentine says that if it comes to this point, you’re usually suing the credit card company and not your relative.

“The way the laws are set up, they’re geared toward the company that was sending the wrong information,” explains Smith-Valentine. If you notified the company that you were not making the purchases, they should then go after the person who was making the purchases, according to the Fair Credit and Reporting Act. This gives a lawyer grounds to sue the creditors on your behalf.”

At what point should you consider suing your relative?
The hardest part about an ordeal like this is coming to terms with the fact that someone close to and trusted by you would betray you. There may come a point when you’re presented with the prospect of suing your family member—when a creditor, perhaps a utility company, is still trying to hold you accountable for the debt. Most of these cases can be handled in small claims court, depending on the dollar amount. “If you’re going to sue your relative, make sure you have lots of documentation to help show the judge it wasn’t you and that it was your relative,” says Smith-Valentine.

What about laws?
Sadly, it looks like children may continue to fall victim to this type of identity theft. “The problem is, a company runs a person’s social security number and it comes back clean. I don’t know if they’re looking to see, based on the birth date, if that person is 18 or older. That’s why, with cell phones and utilities, [committing this type of identity theft] is a lot easier. There is no law saying a person has to be of a certain age to open an account.”

Remember, when dealing with this matter, time is of the essence—act with urgency. This can be especially difficult because you are dealing with a loved one, but get a grip and create a plan. The longer you wait, the harder it will be to untangle the mess.

Resources
National Association of Consumer Advocates

Carmen Belcher vows to protect her identity. (Photo by Gerard H. Gaskin)

In September 2008, Carmen Belcher, 25, checked her Bank of America debit card account statement online. Expecting nothing unusual, she was stunned to see two transactions from a clothing store and a cell phone provider she didn’t subscribe to. Belcher contacted the retailer and learned the name and address of the person who attempted the transaction. Though she didn’t recognize the exact address, she did recognize the last name; it was that of a friend she met while enrolled at Hampton University and with whom she frequently spent time.

“I was shocked she would steal from me because she had the same material things I had, so I thought there was no competition,” says Belcher, an aspiring entertainer and assistant to a music industry representative. “As I understood it, she didn’t work because her parents paid her graduate school tuition.”

Belcher’s former friend charged approximately $300 to pay a cell phone bill. (The clothing store purchase, which was attempted online, failed to go through. Belcher was told it was because the shipping address did not match the billing address.) But Belcher, who says she rarely checked her bank statements,  was unable to get her money back. She missed the 60-day period that Bank of America requires for reporting fraudulent activity. Her former friend had also moved out of the country by the time Belcher discovered the charges.

Unfortunately, Belcher is not alone. In 2008, almost 10 million people in the United States discovered they were victims of identity fraud, according to Javelin Strategy & Research, a provider of quantitative research on financial services. Identity theft might be the last thing on the minds of college students. This makes them an attractive target for thieves, who wait for them to unknowingly leave behind a trail of personal information, either online or within physical reach.

“People don’t realize or think about how much information they give away,” says Linda Foley, the founder and chairman of the Identity Theft Resource Center (www.idtheftcenter.org), a San Diego-based nonprofit organization that educates consumers and supports victims of identity theft nationwide. “Identity theft can affect a student’s ability to get a college loan, credit, or a job.”

It doesn’t help that there is no standard profile for an identity thief. In fact, victims aged 18 to 24 years old are more likely to know those who’ve defrauded them; sometimes the thief may even be someone close. Belcher’s friend knew her shopping habits and was one of the few people Belcher invited to stay over at her apartment.

Javelin Strategy & Research states in its 2009 Identity Fraud Survey Report that of the 35% of victims who know how their information was taken, 43% of the crimes were committed through physical contact, such as the stealing of a wallet, checkbook, or credit card. “Dumpster diving” and “shoulder surfing”––using direct observation techniques, such as looking over someone’s shoulder or even using vision-enhancing devices––are also common methods used to steal personal and financial information.

According to Foley, you can’t prevent identity theft, but you can take precautions. Belcher now shreds documents and doesn’t carry all her credit cards with her. When she has overnight guests she now removes important documents from a filing cabinet located in her easily accessible home office. “It’s hard because you don’t expect people to steal from you, but the only way to really protect yourself is to always be on top of everything,” she says.Here are four ways to decrease your risk of being a victim of identity theft:

1. Monitor your accounts. Review your bank and credit card statements closely, so if you notice something strange, you can take immediate action. “It will give you an early warning should there be an issue,” says Adam Levin, chairman and co-founder of Identity Theft 911 L.L.C. (www.identitytheft911.com), which focuses on identity theft resolution and providing fraud solutions and consumer education. “If you see a transaction you don’t recall, call the bank and ask them to look into it.”

Check your credit report by going to www.annualcreditreport.com. While you should check your report at least once a year, here’s a tip: You can obtain one free credit check per year from each of the three major credit bureaus (Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion), so you can keep regular tabs on your accounts by checking a different one every four months. According to Levin, depending on your state of residence, you may have the option of checking your report more than once a year. Contact your state’s Department of Consumer Affairs or Office of the Attorney General for more information.

2. Sign up for fraud alerts. Most financial institutions offer fraud alerts, which help detect and identify fraud quickly. Customers can receive timely notification about important or suspicious activity on their accounts via e-mail alerts or telephone calls. You can also add a victim’s statement to your credit report so that you’re contacted to verify future credit applications. Fraud alerts can be placed directly on your files with Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion.

3. Don’t give it all away online. “Students need to understand that  in a transparent Internet world, they must be aware of the characteristics of their identity,” explains Gary Gordon, executive director of the Center for Applied Identity Management Research, a nonprofit corporation co-hosted by Indiana University and the University of Texas at Austin that identifies key identity management challenges. “Name, birthday, address, Social Security numbers—even where you live, your dog’s name—all of that is important.” If there’s something you feel inclined to share, like your birthday, you can give the day you were born, but not the year, or vice versa. “You don’t have to put much information out there to utilize the full benefits of social networking,” says Gordon.

4. Remember the basics. Avoid carrying your Social Security card. Shred personal and financial documents. Don’t forget to install a firewall and regularly update the anti-virus and anti-spyware software on your computer. Invest in an inexpensive safety box to lock up your financial documents, passport, and Social Security number.

Remember that you might not discover that you’ve been the victim of identity theft until years later, so protect yourself now. The process of clearing your name and restoring your credit can take months and sometimes years depending on the severity of the case.

Fast Facts: What to Do After Your Identity Has Been Stolen

Immediately file a police report. Your local police department can play a key role in the recovery process. Furthermore, credit card companies and financial institutions may require this type of documentation to prove that your identity and/or accounts have in fact been compromised, so be sure to get a hard copy of your police report.

If you are having difficulty getting a company to reimburse you or to take responsibility for their role in the incident, you can file a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission (www.ftc.gov) or the Better Business Bureau (www.bbb.org/us).

Contact the Social Security Administration (www.ssa.gov) and provide proof that your identity has been stolen.

Additional reporting by Siobhan Dixon

This article originally appeared in the December 2009 issue of Black Enterprise.