By AppleInsider Staff

New York University has begun a campaign to warn its students against sporting iPod earbud headphones while venturing on and off campus, according to tipsters. The tiny, white earbud headphones, which ship with Apple's iPod digital music players, have become a telltale sign for thieves looking to hijack iPods in the fast-paced streets of Manhattan. This week members of the campus community began plastering NYU dorms with posters warning students not to wear the standard iPod headphones. According tipsters enrolled in the college, there have been an increasing number reports from students who've been held up by city crooks demanding that they hand over their iPod. They suggest it's time Apple begins offering a less recognizable alternative.