Identity theft facts for kids

Robert Siciliano works to help people stay safe from crime online and in real life.

Identity theft happens when someone uses your personal information without your permission. They might use your name, special numbers, or credit card details. Usually, they do this to get money, loans, or other benefits in your name. This can cause big problems for you, especially if you are blamed for what they did.

This idea of "identity theft" started in 1964. Since then, laws in places like the U.K. and the U.S. have defined it as stealing personal details. This includes things like your name, birthday, social security number, driver's license number, bank account details, passwords, or anything else that can let someone get to your money.

It's often hard to know how someone got your information if your identity is stolen. Victims might not even realize their identity was stolen right away. For example, a big data breach where millions of records were exposed only led to a small number of identity theft cases, according to the company involved. This shows that not every data breach automatically means identity theft.

In 2010, an article called "Cyber Crime Made Easy" talked about how hackers use special harmful software. A security expert named Gunter Ollmann said, "Interested in credit card theft? There's an app for that." This meant it was becoming very easy for hackers to get all sorts of information online.

A program called Zeus is one example. It's so easy to use that even new hackers can operate it. But don't let that fool you! Programs like Zeus can still cause a lot of damage. They can steal your credit card details, important documents, and other private files. If a hacker gets this information, it can lead to identity theft. In 2012, about 15 million Americans had their identity stolen.

Types of Identity Theft

Examples of How Personal Information Is Obtained and Used to Commit Identity Theft

The non-profit Identity Theft Resource Center explains that identity theft can be divided into five main types:

• Criminal identity theft: This is when someone pretends to be you if they get caught for a crime.
• Financial identity theft: This is the most common type. Someone uses your identity to get credit cards, buy things, or get services.
• Identity cloning: This is when someone uses your information to completely pretend to be you in their daily life.
• Medical identity theft: This happens when someone uses your identity to get medical care or prescription drugs.
• Child identity theft: This is when a child's personal information is stolen and used.

Identity theft can also be used to help other crimes. For example, it might be used to help someone enter a country illegally or to commit phishing scams. Sometimes, people even clone identities to trick online payment systems or medical insurance.

Identity Cloning and Hiding

In this type of identity theft, someone pretends to be another person to hide who they really are. This could be someone who wants to avoid paying debts or just wants to be "anonymous." Another example is "posers." These are people who use someone else's photos and information on social media sites. They often make up believable stories that involve friends of the real person they are copying.

Unlike financial identity theft, which usually gets noticed when debts pile up, identity cloning can go on for a long time without anyone knowing. This is especially true if the thief can get fake documents to pass checks in everyday life.

Images for kids

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  A diagram from the US Government Accountability Office showing the risk of identity theft with social security numbers on Medicare cards.

See also

In Spanish: Robo de identidad para niños