Did you know? Children are 51 times more likely than adults to have their identity stolen.With children, the crime goes unnoticed for years and is usually not detected until the child attempts to obtain credit or applies for a job, college or government benefits. By then, the damage is done, said NFCC. (National Foundation for Credit Counseling.)We now include these facts in all our "ID Theft" seminars we conduct.Other statistics related to child identity theft, from AllClear ID and the Carnegie Mellon Cylab:• The youngest victim is only five months old; • About 54% of victims are under the age of 12; • The largest debt accrued with a child's stolen identity: $725,000; • A two-year-old was placed into bankruptcy; and • A nine-year-old was in debt collections.Thieves are also stealing personal data left on old cell phones. "People are eager to cast aside their old phone in favor of the newest gadget, often forgetting that the old phone held passwords account numbers, PINs and other personal information that is a goldmine to a thief," said Cunningham.911 Cell Phone joined the PYIW campaign to help consumers safely rid themselves of unused cell phones. 911 Cell Phone wipes the phones clean and returns them to law enforcement officials across the country to distribute free to those in need, such as senior citizens and abuse victims.
October 19, 2011 - 11:08am
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