Cars, wallets, laptops and keys – these are things college students worry about getting stolen. The theft of their identity does not regularly cross their minds. It should.

Identity theft is a rising crime in which personal information such as social security numbers, credit card numbers, and driver’s license numbers are stolen without a person’s knowledge. These numbers make it possible for the thief to open bank accounts, credit accounts, get loans to purchase a car or get a cell phone account in the victim’s name, resulting in bounced checks and ruined credit.

Thieves find personal information on old bank statements, credit statements, credit card applications and many other places. By simply throwing these things away, the true owner puts himself at risk of identity theft.

Lauren Helmuth, a sophomore corporate communication and public affairs major, realized that her identity had been stolen when she received a phone call from Gateway Computers asking for the payment for a computer that she had not purchased.

“We called the credit company and they didn’t have any record of it,” Helmuth said, “so someone had gotten ahold of my personal information … and they purchased the computer online.”

Since she had not thoroughly destroyed her bank statements, it was difficult to determine whether the theft had occurred in Dallas or in her native city of New York. Helmuth had to notify the police in both cities, as well as the FBI and the three credit bureaus, Equifax, Experian and Trans Union.

Helmuth later determined that it was likely the information was obtained from incorrectly discarded payroll check information where she interned in New York the past two summers. Apparently the entire company was inundated with identity theft reports.

Luckily, Helmuth caught the problem before it caused significant credit damage. Her advice to others at risk of identity theft is to “rip up anything that you get – even something small that you don’t think would have [anything] on it.

“My mom even thought of buying me a shredder for my dorm room because she was so paranoid,” Helmuth said. The entire process of clearing her name and notifying all the different agencies took about three months.

Captain Mike Snellgrove of the SMU police department said identity theft isn’t terribly pervasive on campus. However, numerous reports of stolen wallets and purses and Internet use makes it easier for thieves to obtain personal information.

“Students, because they don’t have the life experience, just don’t know enough about it until it happens,” Snellgrove said. “Practicing a little caution in your everyday life could prevent something like this from occurring.”

This article contains information from the Federal Trade Commission (www.consumer.gov/idtheft).