Be careful the Identity Theft
They are out there, and they are looking for you. They know that kids spend a lot of time on the Internet and the phone. They also know that
when your mind is on your IMs, text messages, and phone conversations with friends, you aren’t thinking about who else might be watching and
listening. The offenders listed here are just a few of the kinds of crooks who would love to know you better.
If you think that you aren’t giving away anything important, think again. Identity thieves may know more than you realize. With your
unsuspecting help, they can learn even more. Your Social Security Number (SSN) and a few other key facts are all a thief needs to steal your
good name—and leave you stuck with a criminal record or staggering debts.
That is what happened to Zach Friesen. At 17, he applied for a job. The prospective employer did a credit check. Only then did Zach find out that
he was tens of thousands of dollars in debt.
When Zach was only seven, someone using his identity had bought a $40,000 houseboat, among other things. Zach himself was innocent of
wrongdoing, but his record made him look irresponsible, even criminal. The long-gone thief was never caught, so, Zach has to stay in a debtor till
the identity theft get caught.
Kids make great targets because the younger the victim, the more time the thief is likely to have before anyone becomes suspicious. Kids get an
SSN at birth but rarely use it until applying for a job at 16 or college at 18. Only then—like Zach Friesen—do they discover problems.
That is why so many ID thefts are being reported by people aged 18 to 29. For many of those victims, someone had been misusing their identity
for years—in some cases, a decade or more.
Strangers are not the only people who saddle kids with debt. “More frequently, it is a family member who has stolen a kid’s identity,” Linda Foley
said. Foley is executive director and co-founder of the Identity Theft Resource Center (ITRC).“I know of an 8-year-old girl who told her mother
that she had seen her father with a credit card in her name,” said Foley. “The mother said, ‘Oh, it must have been your library card.’ When the girl
was 11, she found a bill in her name. That convinced her mother.” But by then, the girl’s record was burdened with three years’ worth of debt.
You can do a lot to protect yourself—and your family—from ID theft. Remember our DOs and DON’Ts!
-DO keep personal information private. “Remember: You do not know who is reading your blogs or personal profiles online,” said Foley. “They
are strangers—and may not be who they say they are.”
-DON’T download “free” software or open e-mail attachments from unreliable sources. They could install spyware or Web crawlers on your
computer.
-DO be suspicious if bills or “preapproved” credit-card offers arrive in your name. Ask a parent or other responsible adult to make sure that
someone hasn’t set up accounts in your name.
-DON’T ever give anyone credit-card or bank-account information over the telephone, unless your parents have authorized it.
-DO leave your Social Security card at home—and, said Foley,“Never give out your SSN or that of any family member.”
-DON’T get caught off guard! Find out how else you can protect yourself and loved ones.