Experts Say Children Make an Easy Target for Identity Theft
According to Linda Foley, co-executive director of the Identity Theft Resource Center in San Diego, identity theft against children is underreported. "If it happens to a child by a family member, we're not going to hear about until they reach 18, 19 years old, and start to apply for credit themselves,” she says.
Because credit issuers do not have a way to verify the age of someone applying for a credit card, it’s relatively easy for a family member who has wrecked their own credit to apply for a fraudulent credit card in a child’s name. The crime may go undetected until the child turns 18 and starts applying for credit themselves.
The Federal Trade Commission collects data on identify theft and said that 3 percent of its identity theft complaints in 2003 relating to identity theft victims under 18. Between 2005 and 2007, that number had risen to 5 percent.
Children are easy targets for identity thieves, including family members, Dallas Morning News, January 19, 2009
Contact Victor Orsatti, a San Diego criminal defense attorney, if you have been arrested and charged with identity theft or other crimes.
