How can Identity Theft Happen to my Children?

Children of all ages can be victims of Identity Theft. Whether it is a classmate at school pretending to be them online or more serious cases of criminal activity involving fraud, children need to understand the risks and what they need to do to stay safe.

Common ways that children become victims of Identity Theft include:

• Giving out their account details or passwords to other friends.
• Not installing any security software on their computers thus exposing them to a range of online threats.
• Leaving an electronic trail of personal information at schools, friend's houses or Internet cafes which can be followed by others.
• Losing personal storage devices such as memory sticks, phones or personal digital assistants which may contain personal information. Often these devices are not password protected.

Teenagers often have their first experience with paid employment when they start casual work. They may be getting paid directly into their bank accounts which they can access online. Before your children start engaging in this type of online activity they need to be fully aware of the issues surrounding Identity Theft.