#rss Keller Citizen Site Search ____________________ Go! * Home * News * Business * Sports * Editorial/Opinion * Contact Us Friday, Aug. 15, 2008 KHS mail mix-up prompts identity theft concerns POST A COMMENT By SANDRA ENGELLAND When the Silva family received a mailing from Keller High School last week, they didn’t think it would be anything unusual. Upon opening it, Apollo and Marsha Silva found two enrollment forms. One was an emergency-care authorization form for their son, Anthony, 15, an incoming sophomore. But the other was a student-information form containing a classmate’s social security number, student ID number, home address, phone number and contact information for his parents at home and at work. They quickly realized that their son’s private information, which they used to set up his college fund and other accounts, was mailed to someone else. "It’s really disconcerting that it happened," said Apollo Silva, worried about the possibility of identity theft. It is a fear shared by numerous other families who had their Keller High School students’ forms stuffed into envelopes and sent to addresses other their own. The high school has received about 45 phone calls from families who received the wrong paperwork, a spokeswoman for the Keller school district said Tuesday. "We take this seriously, and as a district we are very careful to protect student information," said Shellie Johnson, the spokeswoman. Officials discovered the problem soon after some of the letters were mailed Aug. 5, she said. They hand-checked some 2,000 letters still at the district warehouse and found them to be correct. As a result of the mishap, officials decided to require a second set of eyes review all mailings which include student information, Johnson said. High school officials said future mailings will not include social security numbers. On pre-printed forms, the numbers will be blocked out. "There’s no reason for them to have [social security numbers] there when they use the student ID number for everything," said Kristen Signorelli, mother of Trey, a 15-year-old incoming sophomore whose form was mailed to the Silvas. Signorelli was on vacation when she found out the Silvas had the form. She said she knew the Silvas and was not worried that her son’s social security number would be misused. "I would certainly be concerned if it was out there floating around," she said. It’s an increasingly valid concern, according to Jay Foley, executive director of the Identity Theft Research Center, a national nonprofit based in San Diego. Identity theft is the fastest-growing crime in the United States, and more teenagers are being targeted, Foley said. In 2006, about 15 million Americans reported being victims of identity theft; statistics from the Federal Trade Commission indicate that the age group most often victimized is young adults, 18-29. Because teens have no credit history and are unlikely to check their credit reports, thieves can more easily use their social security numbers for fraudulent means, Foley said. Crimes against many young victims are often discovered years later, when they apply for college financial aid or a car loan. Because of laws prohibiting minors from receiving credit, thieves often use a child’s social security number, but change the date of birth and sometimes the name. The three credit bureaus will soon offer a product that will allow parents to place a fraud alert on their child’s social security number, Foley said. The credit bureaus – Equifax, Experian and TransUnion – currently do not offer alerts involving a fraudulent date of birth. reprint or license print story Print email this story to a friend E-Mail AIM tool name close tool goes here Visit other Real Cities Sites * News | * Business | * Sports | * Living | * Editorial/Opinion | * Contact Us * About the Real Cities Network | * About the McClatchy Company * Terms of Use & Privacy Statement | * Copyright