TRI-CITIES-- Identity thieves are turning away from seniors and targeting college students, according to recent reports.

"I'm really bad with keeping things documented and spending online with debit cards, things like that," said Casey Roberts, a Columbia Basin College student.

Roberts could be a prime target. While she's busy studying to be a nurse, she doesn't have time to monitor her credit. It's a habit thieves have caught on to.

"I think a lot of times, the college students are awful trusting and they're very close to their friends, and sometimes that can get them in trouble," said Laurie Tufford, CEO of Consumer Credit Counseling Services in Kennewick.

Students like Tahnia Jensen take steps to protect themselves.

"I don't use my credit card online and I have passwords for everything, and I change it up," she said.

Students and experts will tell you, the idea of a "struggling student" isn't always true to life.

"I think a lot of college students probably have a lot of money they're spending that their parents might give them, or they're working over the summer," said Roberts.

Many students are already victims of identity theft by the time they get to college, and thousands more will fall prey to scammers while they're there. That's why colleges like CBC provide them with tip sheets and offer classes to educate and protect students.

The pros say if students have to take out loans, they should make sure they're guaranteed federal loans. They shouldn't leave their personal information around-- even roommates may not be entirely trustworthy. Experts also warn, be weary of the people who cosign documents.

"You're probably not going to find out about it for a while, until things start going wrong on their end," said Tufford. "Til they've maxed out that credit card."

That means checking credit reports at least once a year as soon as people open their first credit card.

Columbia Basin College is doing its part to combat identity theft. It adopted a policy of random number IDs a few years ago, and it's no longer legal to use social security numbers on most school forms. Teachers there also host clinics on identity theft.