Florida state lawmakers in both the Florida House and Senate hope to keep students’ identities safer by presenting bills that limit the times the students present their Social Security numbers.
Students at Florida State University say without their Social Security number, they aren't able to perform simple duties on campus. Because of the frequent use of their social, the possibility of identity theft is an issue.
"Identity theft is through your Social Security, when you take tests, you have to use your Social Security, when getting grades, you have to use your social, and on the Internet, you can get anything,” comments FSU student Shane McGinley.
Bills currently before the Florida House and Senate would help curb the times students are required to use their personal number.
But some students actually prefer to use their social, as opposed to memorizing various pin numbers.
"I don't mind using mind using my social at all, identity theft isn't that big around here,” FSU student David Petracca says.
The Federal Trade Commission reports that in 2002, Florida ranked sixth in the nation for identity theft, with more than 10,000 reported victims.
"It's such a valuable piece of information, if it gets in the wrong hands, somebody could use it for something that you don't want them to use it for,” adds student Marsharo Naimo.
The FTC reports that close to 10 million Americans were victims of identity theft in 2002.