A University student allegedly stole the identities of 40 other students over the past few weeks.
LSUPD arrested Asim Khan on 40 counts of identity theft and charged him with four counts of forgery, one count of bank fraud and one count of felony theft. It is only a matter of time until this happens again.
Eric Norman, associate dean of judicial affairs, told The Daily Reveille identity theft is an ongoing concern for the University, but its job was merely to “warn students to be careful.”
We don’t think this is enough.
The University should view this incident as a wake-up call and make a stronger push for what Student Government members have been asking it to change for years. The University should not ask students to use their Social Security numbers on tests or any other printed matter or computer programs.
While some teachers are taking steps by allowing students to write their student ID numbers on tests, others still ask for at least the last four digits of Social Security numbers.
Campus places of employment such as Middleton Library, where Khan was employed, had students write their Social Security numbers on their time-sheets, which were easily obtainable if one knew where the sheets were kept. The library has since changed the policy, asking students to leave their numbers off the sheets to curtail the problem.
This season’s football ticket allocation is a set back to a push for security. Having Social Security numbers on tickets shows no concern for identity theft.
But the University is not entirely at fault. Khan allegedly used means other than easy access to students’ Social Security numbers. He acquired information through e-mails asking for personal information by forging the digital signature of a former employee of the Bursar’s Office.
Students need to be aware this can happen to them. The incident hit close to home, as two Daily Reveille staff members had their identities stolen, including one who sits on this board.
Khan was only a student. If it was easy for him, it could be just as easy for anyone.
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