TEMPE, AZ – While identity theft complaints continue to increase as reported by the Federal Trade Commission, Arizona consumers are being targeted at even higher rates as the 2008 FTC report on identity theft and identity fraud reveals the state continues to rank first for identity theft complaints with more than 9,600 cases filed in 2008.

LifeLock and Arizona State University’s SunCard are helping give Sun Devil students the protection they need to help secure their good names. ASU students will be able to receive LifeLock’s proactive identity theft protection services at a discounted rate through the SunCard program.

“Identity thieves will attack anyone’s personal information and use it for their own purposes, regardless if they are college students, young children or working adults,” said LifeLock Vice President of Partner Sales, Steve McGrady. “Our ground-breaking relationship with ASU’s SunCard is an important step in helping to protect the identities of our children and young adults. We hope that we are able to help ASU students concentrate on their education rather than the devastation that follows an identity theft.”

SunCard is the official ID for ASU and is used by faculty, staff and students. The card enables students to receive discounts at a variety of vendors who have partnerships with ASU through SunCard. The card also works as a declining balance debit card and parents are able to easily add funds to a student’s account. The SunCard program positions ASU in the forefront among universities, moving away from using social security numbers as student identification. Many colleges and universities continue to use individuals’ social security numbers as identification, making those students that much more vulnerable to the crime.

Recognized by the Federal Trade Commission as a rapidly growing crime, identity theft affects millions of Americans each year. However, of the 1.2 million consumers who filed a complaint with the FTC in 2008, 65 percent never filed a police report, the first recommended step in remediating the problem of identity theft. From 2007 to 2008 consumers reported to the FTC having spent more than $1.8 billion as a result of identity theft and fraud, a 25 percent increase from the year prior.

“Identity theft can be extremely damaging, and we recognize that the college age demographic group is frequently targeted”, said SunCard manager Andrew Perkins. “We hope this program offering provides a level of security for our participating students.”

LifeLock is a proactive identity theft protection service providing consumers with confidence and control as an answer for their good faith suspicion of becoming the next victim. LifeLock (www.lifelock.com) leads the charge against the crime by educating consumers, working with law enforcement, and developing leading services/products, and doing what it should for members.