Teens are Common Victims of Identity Theft by Courtney McGohan* (Guest author)

Envision living your life day-to-day, carefree. Spending time on Facebook, Twitter, and Xbox. Sharing your email address, birthday or even your pets name over these sources. Meanwhile, a stranger is taking this information and using it to hack into your accounts and steal your identity. Young adults tend to not understand how very real this threat is and how detrimental identity theft can be to a persons’ future.

Identity theft is becoming more and more common is today’s society due to the Internet and its social networking sites. The information shared over theses sites can be used to steal a person’s identity and our young adults are at a serious risk. According to the Federal Trade Commission, teenagers make up 31% of identity theft cases each year. This is due to the lack of understanding kids have on the issue of identity theft. It is difficult to be aware of teen identity theft because of the fact that they may not have credit cards or a driver’s license. Many teens do not find out they have had their identity stolen until they finally apply for their first credit card, and they are already thousands of dollars in debt. This, in turn, causes difficulty getting student loans or even jobs. Parents need to educate their teens about identity theft, and guide them through their early financial endeavors and teach them how to behave while online.

With today’s society being so involved with social media sites, it is imperative that today’s teens know the result of careless actions on the Internet. Banks and credit unions offer information on how to prevent identity theft from happening.  Remember: You are not immune to identity theft just because you are young or without your own assets. Teens like you are the perfect blank slates for con artists. Be on your guard, and protect your full name, address, birth date, and Social Security number at all times.

READERS, what do you think?

Do you take measures to ensure your identity is not stolen? If so, how?

Are you aware which sites to use that are deemed “safe”?

*Courtney McGohan is an undergraduate student with UK Department of Family Sciences

References

Gustke, C. (2012, September 19). Four ways to protect your teen from identity theft. Retrieved from http://www.foxbusiness.com/personal-finance/2012/09/18/four-ways-to-protect-your-teen-from-identity-theft/