How could youths better learn to live than by at once trying the experiment of living?
Henry David Thoreau
What is more important to a teenager than cold hard cash and a cell phone? Tough question. Not much except teaching him or her how to protect his or her identity from being stolen. An ounce of preventative education and caution is worth way more than a pound of excruciatingly traumatic cure.
Identity theft is an ever-increasing threat for all consumers, but children and teenagers are particularly desirable targets for criminals. First of all, they have "unblemished" credit records since they have no credit at all. Second, once their identity is stolen it can go undetected for months, if not years, since they are likely to be ignorant to any signs that their identity has been compromised.
All that a thief needs is a Social Security Number. It can be stolen by a family member or even a parent. Thieves can also steal it from your child's school or doctor's office. And teens are likely to be too free with their personal information — often duped into giving it out over the phone or online in a phishing scam.
Here are ways to minimize threats:
- Check your teenager’s credit report and make sure it says what it is supposed to.
- If a credit card offer comes in a teen’s name, know that something is awry. These offers only come to people with a credit history.
- Teach kids about identity theft scams and the consequences of being a victim of one.
- Let them know they need to keep their private information (Social Security Number, bank account statements, passwords and PINs) private.
- Teach them to say NO to requests for information. If someone asks for personal information, the right answer is, '"Let me talk to my parents. If they say it's OK, then I will give you the information you need." Schools, athletic teams and pediatric offices routinely request Social Security Numbers for registration purposes. Before giving that information, always ask it is this required and by whom. If you do not like the answer, then decline to provide the data. Remember: Social Security cards are not a form of identification.
- Teach teens to keep documents containing their personal information, such as social security cards, bank statements, and passport, locked up in a safe place rather than carrying them around everywhere.
If you believe your child's identity may have been stolen, contact one of the three major credit bureaus; immediately dispute any bills with fraudulent charges; and, visit the Federal Trade Commission's ID Theft Resource Center, http://www.consumer.gov/idtheft/.
