Detectives in California were investigating the contents of a home in San Diego where illegal drug-related activities had taken place six years ago. Among some of the questionable items detectives found in the home were applications to open cell phone accounts using LDS missionary Matthew Scott's personal information.

One of the detectives called Scott's mother in Utah at midnight and asked to speak with Scott in an effort to find out why his personal information was in the San Diego home. Scott's mother informed the detective that he was serving a mission in Mexico.

When notified, Scott's mission president gave him permission to return briefly to the United States to file a police report.

Scott has since graduated from BYU with a bachelor's degree in vocal performance and is attending law school in California.

"I am in the middle of yet another collection proceeding against one of my former personalities, one whom I've never met," said Scott, who has been battling to clear up his credit after his identification was stolen more than six years ago.

"I'm not positive," he said, "but I think it happened before the mission while I was at BYU."

Scott recently applied for student loans to continue his education, but the loans were denied because of poor credit - the result of his stolen identity.

"This one came at a particularly inconvenient moment because I wasn't able to get my student loans, and I'm in default on my tuition," Scott said. "This claim snuck up on me, and now I'm paying for it in time and money. It's been over six years, and it still consumes a great deal of time and energy on my part."

He gave the following advice to students who suspect their identity has been stolen:

"The first thing to do is to put a freeze on all of your accounts over the phone on your way to the police station, and then file a police report," he said. "You file a police report to prove in the future that you've had fraud committed against you.

"I think that people are far too trusting, and you need to ask the magic questions to make sure that they are who they say they are before you give them your information."

According to the campus police, identity theft isn't a huge problem at BYU, but it is still a problem.

"Don't give out personal identity to anyone unless you know what it's going to be used for," said Lt. Arnold Lemmon of the University Police.

"We try to teach our students, you are the first line of defense," he said. "Don't expect anyone else to protect it. You have to."

Lemmon said the campus police only gets a couple of cases a month, so it's not that big of a problem, "but if your identity is stolen, it's huge for you."

Travis Hadley, a senior studying biology, said he doesn't give the problem much thought.

"I'm not really worried about it," he said. "I only think about it when someone brings it up. But I do take basic precautions to protect my identity."

Amy Frenza, the branch manager at the Provo Macey's branch of America First Credit Union, said identity theft can happen to anyone and that it happens to students too often.

"It can happen anytime and anywhere, even with people that you know," Frenza said.

Frenza said it's a bad idea to leave wallets or handbags in cars. She advised students to check their credit reports regularly and make sure nothing suspicious appears. Frenza also cautioned students against trusting roommates, friends and even family members with too much personal information.

"Just be aware," Frenza said. "Be aware of the current methods and techniques that people are using to steal your identity."

Copyright Brigham Young University 25 Sep 2008