<p>There is an article in today's Washington Post that 'Millennials</a> are most susceptible to identity theft.' According to a study conducted by California-based Javelin Strategy & Research company which examined where identity theft threats originate and how they effect consumers:
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"The 18-to-24 group is unique. They're going to college. They're away from home for the first time. They're sharing more information. More of their information is exposed.
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A researcher from the Pew Foundation pointed to studies that show most people can be identified with only 3 pieces of information: their sex, zip code, and date of birth. Thieves often can find this kind of personal information posted on social networking sites such as Facebook.
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The 'core millennial' group .... is at the greatest risk because it takes them longer to figure out that they have been defrauded - meaning their information is compromised for a longer period.
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It takes young people an average of 132 days to detect fraudulent activity on their accounts, while older age groups average 49 days.</p>
<p>The study by Javelin Research noted that identity theft can include traditional methods such as stealing wallets and credit cards, or it can be high tech methods such as 'phishing' with fraudulent websites or installing malicious spyware or 'keylogging' software that monitors computer keystrokes and passwords.</p>
<p>Thank you for posting this. I have been trying to educate my son on this topic and have not gotten much result. He had to take his Social Security card back to school with him after winter break to complete paperwork for an on campus job, and I kept asking him to keep it someplace safe - not in his wallet. I asked him to bring it home with him at spring break so I could put it away - he forgot - I asked him where was it - not sure - on my desk, I think - which was very frustrating. Card is now back in my possession, but I don’t think he gets how identity theft can cause you hassles for years. Having worked in the mortgage banking field in my prior life, I can attest to the fact that once it happens, and these fraudulent accounts are on your credit report, it is a nightmare to resolve.</p>
<p>My son had his wallet stolen - little did I know that he also had his SS# in his wallet. I filed a complaint with the FTC and put a 90 day watch on his SS# through all three credit bureaus, which I will extend in 90 days. The good news is that with the new credit card rules, it’s not like they can get a credit card in his name. The other good news is that they finally caught the guy.</p>
<p>If anyone has anything else that should be done to protect son’s ID, Id appreciate it.</p>
<p>I should have included this fact from the article:
As my grandmother used to say, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” I’m printing this article for both of my sons!</p>
<p>My son is paranoid about computer security and identity theft as he knows what can happen to people - he’s a regular reader of Slashdot. Daughter is pretty careful online - she uses anonymous identities wherever possible. Both kids avoid social networking sites.</p>
<p>My D’s wallet was stolen with her SS card and DL. We have replaced the SS card. What is the best way to monitor her number to make sure it’s not being used elsewhere? She is a senior in high school.
Thanks for any responses.</p>
<p>The best thing to do is to get a free copy of her credit report to make sure that no unauthorized activity has already taken place. Then, you can also contact the 3 credit bureaus and ask that a fraud alert or credit freeze be put on her account so that new credit cannot be opened without proper authorization.</p>
<p>You only have to contact one credit report company and they contact the others. Also, as I said in my post, it was recommended we file a complaint. I basically googled stolen SS card and that website told me what to do.</p>