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Caroline

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Identity theft can happen to anyone. And at college, you're particularly vulnerable . You lock your apartment and your car, right? Your identity is much more valuable, so guard it just as carefully as you do your other possessions.

Here are some tips to keep your identity safe:

• Check your snail mail . Don't ignore your mailbox, even if you don't expect any mail. You may be receiving credit card offers or other mail that could be swiped by an identity thief. Check your mail every day.

• Watch your personal possessions. Studying in the library and need a break? Don't leave your backpack, laptop  and other personal items unattended.

• Keep a skinny wallet. If you lose your wallet, you'll need to cancel any credit cards immediately, so the fewer you carry, the better. And don't keep your Social Security card in your wallet at all. Make a photocopy of the cards in your wallet, and stash the copies in a safe — you'll be able to cancel them in a flash if need be.

• Shred, shred, shred. Don't just toss junk mail and other paperwork with personal information on it. Identity thieves are notorious for raiding garbage cans. Invest in a paper shredder and use it liberally.

• Check your bank and credit card statements closely. Whether you rely on hard copy or online statements, check them regularly for suspicious activity.

• Get a copy of your credit report  annually, for free. Again, you want to check for any suspicious activity, such as name or address changes, or accounts you don't recognize.

These are just a few ideas. Got any other tips or personal experiences to share?

Staci

Last week, we commemorated Get Smart About Credit Day. This week, we're calling attention to a related event: National Protect Your Identity Week .

Spearheaded by the National Foundation for Credit Counseling, this initiative is designed to bring identity theft awareness and prevention programs to consumers in communities across the country.

Has your identity ever been stolen — even just a small piece of it? Mine has, and it was a maddening experience. A credit card that I hadn't used in a long time started accruing random charges for teenage clothing in New York and sports equipment in Texas. I didn't know that the charges were happening until I received a bill for thousands of dollars.

It took a lot of convincing before the credit card company (not Wells Fargo) would believe that the charges weren't mine, and frankly, their representatives weren't very helpful or empathetic. Countless phone calls, notarized fraud affidavits, and a freeze on my credit report later, I resolved the situation in a matter of months — fortunately with no damage to my credit rating.

Others haven't been as lucky. In fact, one of my high school girlfriends had her name, birth date, and Social Security number stolen by a former coworker. My friend used the experience to start her own nonprofit organization, the Identity Theft Action Council of Nebraska . Now she educates others about the crime of identity theft, helps victims put their lives back together, and shapes federal and state legislation. She's amazing!

Later in the week, Karen will tell her own personal story of fraudulent credit card usage, and Caroline will share some tips for identity theft prevention. Stay tuned.

Barbara

I have a shameful story to share. It's shameful because I pride myself on being financially responsible...and passing on tips of financial responsibility to you readers.

About a month ago, while standing at the Younkers  counter about to purchase some new dress shoes  (on clearance, of course), I noticed an important piece of plastic was missing from my wallet. My debit card was nowhere to be found! I sifted through all my "frequent patron" cards and each pocket, but the card wasn't there. So, I handed an alternate method of payment to the cashier (who was quite patient with me given the circumstances) and started to freak out a little.

I retraced my steps and realized the last time I'd used my debit card was to purchase petrol  and a car wash several days earlier.

The steps went like this: Grabbed the card, swiped it, and started pumping the gas. Car wash? Pressed yes. Hopped in the car and set my card on the passenger seat (first mistake). Drove to the car wash entry and entered my code. Looked at the card on the passenger seat and thought "I should put that away before I lose it." (Famous last words.) This is when my memory trail went cold. Did I follow through? I couldn't recall.

So the next day, after searching my car, house, and person up and down to no avail, I relented and called to cancel my card and request a new one.

Even though I'm full of shame, I still have three quick tips related to my situation (please don't take them with a grain of salt!):

• Keep a handy list of contact information for all your financial service providers

• Know how to protect yourself  if your card is lost or stolen

• Take precautions to avoid identity theft

Since I had performed such a thorough search for the lost card, I was sure I could've been susceptible to identity theft. I imagined my poor card lying in the middle of the road, just waiting to be snatched up.

Turns out I had no reason to worry: Just last week I found my old debit card in a pair of pants I rarely wear. Fantastic. My card really needed a stunt double!

Anyone out there have a shameful story of your own that turned out better or worse than mine?

Caroline

Now that we are fully into the holiday shopping season, I have to admit, I'm feeling kind of ignorant about how college students treat Christmas shopping these days. My college junior stepdaughter is not a big shopper in general, and limits her Christmas shopping to just a few affordable gifts for family. And I don't remember buying people much of anything when I was in college.

However, as I wander the mall these days trying to wrap up my own shopping, I see one big temptation that's probably even bigger for college students: the store credit card.

I actually promoted these when I was in college. I worked for JC Penney  and we got reimbursed for every application we turned in. It was a nice way for me to take home some extra cash, so I definitely encouraged any and every customer to apply.

But these days, it's not just the big department stores that offer credit cards — almost every single store pushes them. And some of their offers are pretty tempting. They quickly tell you exactly how much you can save today just by signing up, and go on about their valuable rewards programs. It always sounds like a great deal, and it can be hard to say "no."

Admittedly, I sometimes have a problem refusing these offers when I'm making a big purchase, or when it's being made by a store I visit frequently .

As a college student, however, it's not a good idea to start opening up a bunch of new credit cards — even if you can save $20 here and there. Even if you promise yourself you'll cut it up as soon as it arrives. Some people have the discipline not to use these cards or to cancel them right away — you don't want to find out the hard way which type of person you are.

Even if you don't use the card, having too many open lines of credit can hurt your credit score  since it's an open door for you to quickly get into debt. And if you don't have a proven credit history, this looks dubious to potential creditors. Also, having a number of open lines of credit leaves you increasingly vulnerable to fraud and identity theft — especially if they are accounts you don't pay much attention to.

Your best bet is to stick to just one credit card while you're still building your credit history, and find another way to save during the holiday season.

Karen

In my first post, I mentioned the trials and tribulations my son has had to experience by not being a part of the "Wii"  crowd.

As the holidays approach, my son reminds me almost daily of how great it would be to get a Wii for Christmas. My husband and I decided that if we could find one, given that these tend to become almost like Where's Waldo  around the holidays, we would get it.

Yesterday, my husband called me to announce that he is the "best dad ever" since he found and purchased a Wii. Whew — checking that off the shopping list right now!

So we were surprised when Wells Fargo contacted us last night. Why were they calling? To ask if we had made a recent purchase using our Wells Fargo card, since it was a purchase we didn't normally make. Wow, that's looking out for us! We verified that the purchase was one we made and thanked the representative for checking in.

Although I know Wells Fargo has many services to protect my accounts, it's still reassuring to know that they're working hard to make sure my money is safe.