Students worrying about identity theft while online should not stop surfing the Internet or shopping on the Web.

Instead, they need to be more cautious while finishing up the holiday season, said FBI spokesman Gary Johnson. And online is not the only place to be cautious.

"(Students) probably don't realize the people that can have access to their information," said Johnson, who operates out of the FBI's Oklahoma City office.

With students on the computer more, roommates, suitemates and friends of roommates can easily access Social Security numbers, credit card information and anything else used on the computer to purchase or access online.

Through buffers and histories stored on computers, anyone can access information at that computer, Johnson said.

After the Nov. 25 arrest of three people connected with the theft of more than 30,000 identities, the Federal Trade Commission and other agencies have been swamped with calls about the safety of identities in this high-tech age.

Authorities say it was the largest identity theft ring broken up in U.S. history, with false loans and run up credit charges estimated at more than $2.7 million.

Claudia Bourne Farrell, spokeswoman for the FTC, said that people worried about identity theft have taken over the complaint database.

Both the FBI and the FTC said the most important piece of information to protect is the Social Security number.

"The Social Security number is the skeleton key to your credit file, so always be very cautious in giving it out," said Donald Girard, spokesman for Experian, a credit bureau.

Never make a copy of your Social Security card and never freely give it out, FBI Johnson said. Memorize the number and keep it locked in a safe place, along with rarely used credit cards and other vital information, he said.

Johnson said that students who live in dormitories, Greek houses and other high occupancy residences should promptly remove mail when it's delivered and deposit outgoing mail in protective receptacles.

Johnson said it is better to use a debit card rather than a check when making a purchase. He said the card holds less information than a check does.

"Always give out as little information as possible," he said.

To prevent becoming a victim of identity theft, the FTC said to periodically run a credit report.

In the recent identity theft, the FBI learned from the Ford Motor Credit Co. that someone was using a company password and access code to pull about 15,000 credit reports.

The ring was uncovered after victims noticed something was wrong.

Credit bureaus Experian, TransUnion and Equifax all said to run a credit report once a year. If someone notices irregularities in the report, a "fraud alert" statement can be placed in the credit file. The alert would tell vendors to contact a person before granting credit.

Johnson said students are not at the highest risk at identity theft similar to the recent arrests. On campus, identity theft is usually using someone else's ID to enter a bar or other over-21 venue, he said.

But if someone is a victim of identity theft, Johnson said to contact the police, a credit reporting agency and the victim's creditors.

Material from Knight-Ridder Tribune contributed to this report.
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