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Every fall, as millions of students get ready to head off to college identity thieves lie in wait for them. Already significant targets, college students comprised more than a third of all identity theft victims last year. Identity thieves frequently target college students because they seldom take protective steps, because of the large number of individuals with access to their personal information, and because an increasingly aggressive credit card industry bombards them with free offers and easy-to-obtain credit cards.

Here are some suggestions from LifeLock CEO Todd Davis on how college students can protect themselves against identity thieves.

1. Purchasing and using a shredder is a must. Shred everything which can identify you before discarding it. Everything…no exceptions.

2. College students generally share housing and live in close proximity to lots of other students. As a result, many people are in and out of their living areas, including people they may not know well. Therefore, to protect against identity theft, students should not leave identifying documents where they can be easily found, and should password protect important information on their computers.

3. Parents…college students won’t order or check credit reports. So, do it for them. Before the first semester starts, parents should have their students order free credit reports to be sent to their homes. Parents can then check the reports for accuracy and identify any potential problems. Major credit bureaus are required by law to give consumers one free credit report a year. If you discover a problem on a credit report, investigate further. Be aware that checking your credit report won’t prevent thieves from opening new accounts in your name, but it is a good start.

4. Because so many social security numbers and personal files are lost to indentity thieves, students should take steps, in advance, to protect themselves if their confidential information is breached by identity thieves.

5. Get yourself taken off of all mailing lists, especially those offering credit cards and merchandise. It is incredibly easy for thieves to steal these mailings from your mailbox or your trash and fill them out so they get the credit cards and/or merchandise and you get the bills and the angry creditors. Of course, using a shredder will prevent theft from your trash and a lock on your mailbox will offer you some degree of security.

6. Place fraud alerts…they’re free…on your personal information. Just contact the 3 major credit bureaus and renew every three months to assure that credit agencies will contact you before opening a new account in your name or changing information…like an address… in a current account. Or, you can hire a credit protection agency, some of which offer monetary guarantees against identity theft, to request and maintain fraud alerts for you.

Taking a bit of time and exercising some caution to prevent identity theft is well worth the effort. Protect yourself by being cautious, aware, and alert.