A June 11, 2014 OLReporter entry summarized eight tips to protect young adults from identity theft, as provided by the Department of Consumer Protection’s May edition of Consumer Watch. Adults are not the only people at risk of identity theft, however.
According to a recent U.S. News and World Report article, a 2011 study found that about 10% of children are identity theft victims before their 18th birthday. The article attributed targeting children for identity theft to reasons such as children’s Social Security numbers having clean credit files and the credit reports are less likely to be monitored. To help protect a child’s credit from fraud, the article advises parents to (1) learn the signs that indicate a credit history has been compromised, (2) check their children’s credit reports, and (3) consider whether to freeze a child’s credit.
The National Conference of State Legislatures reports in its June 2014 State Legislatures magazine that each state has a law on identity theft or impersonation. Twenty-nine states have restitution provisions requiring identity thieves to reimburse victims.
