Officials at the University of Connecticut are investigating the theft of a laptop which stored the personally-identifiable info of more than 10,000 prospective students.

The laptop held undergraduate admission data, such as:

• students’ names
• Social Security numbers
• contact information, and
• other personal data.

UConn is contacting all affected applicants in writing. It will provide those individuals with credit monitoring services for two years  — on the university’s dime.

Has your school experienced a data breach? Tell us how you handled it in the comments box below.

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If you guessed around 600,000 – you’re right. That’s the number of college students, faculty and alumni from whom credit card numbers and identification info were stolen in 2009.

If you go back to 2005, more than 6.6 million personal records were hacked at 435 colleges, according to the Identity Theft Resource Center.

And while college students may seem the likeliest group to fall victim to identify theft and scams, a Federal Trade Commission report says it’s actually people ages 25 to 44.

But because college students are – for the most part – inseparable from technology, they are easy targets for various types of identity theft.

Today, many scams involve the Internet. And because college students spend much of their time online, they tend to get taken in by fraud scams.

Colleges may contribute to the situation by giving students ID cards that also act as debit cards. Plus, many credit card companies are allowed on campus, where students are viewed – and wooed – as potential card owners.

Students – along with faculty and administrators – should take the following steps to protect themselves:

·       Give out as little personal info as possible – especially on social networking sites

·       Don’t consider campus computers or WiFi hotspots as secure

·       Change passwords frequently

·       Keep anti-virus software up-to-date

·       Shred bank statements and tax documents – or store them in a safe place.

What are you personally doing to prevent identity theft? Let us know in the comments section below.