Cooperative Living May 2016 - 24

SafetySense
How Identity Theft Affects
Different Generations
Protecting
Your
Identity
Identity thieves are equalopportunity
destroyers who
victimize everyone from
toddlers to octogenarians.
SENIOR IDENTITY THEFT
S
ome shady character swipes an infant's
Social Security number and uses it to
obtain a credit line. A pre-teen has her
identity boosted and later learns she's on the
hook for an auto loan. A senior citizen
receives an email informing him that only a
few bits of personal information separate
him from his lotto winnings, which he didn't
even know he had coming to him.
These scenarios serve to remind us that
identity thieves are equal-opportunity
destroyers who victimize everyone from
toddlers to octogenarians. Keeping your
family safe means knowing how to
recognize the different forms of identity theft
when you see the signs, and understanding
how identity thieves may adapt their
strategies to the age of a particular victim.
CHILD IDENTITY THEFT
Fraud involving infants and children
increases in frequency with each passing
year. Since these young victims typically
don't open savings or checking accounts,
you may wonder how identity theft can even
happen to them. Once an infant is issued a
Social Security number, this has the
potential to be lifted from forms requiring
personal information and used to apply for
government benefits, open credit card
accounts, apply for loans or rent a place to
live. Many parents also include personal
information on ID tags for the backpacks
their children carry to school, and this
information proves sufficient for the kind of
22 | Cooperative Living | May 2016
fraud identity thieves wish to commit.
Discovering that someone has stolen a
child's identity usually happens with receipt
of pre-approved credit cards or other
financial offers in the child's name. Parents
wishing to shield their kids from identity
theft should take pains to store a child's
information in a safe place, avoid public
display of the child's address and name
together on the same document and refuse
to share a child's Social Security number
unless the parent or guardian knows and
trusts the other party. When providing a
Social Security number is necessary, ask if
you can just use the last four digits.
ADULT IDENTITY THEFT
Some 9 million American adults have
their identities pilfered each year, according
to the Federal Trade Commission. This
ongoing high frequency reflects the fact that
fraudsters will resort to all kinds of means
- from rooting around in rubbish bins to
hacking unsuspecting users' computers -
to obtain personal information.
Grown-ups interested in dodging the
nefarious efforts of ID thieves should take
these protective measures:
* Shred personal documents;
* Refrain from disclosing full Social
Security or driver's license numbers;
* Use only secure sites when engaged
in e-commerce;
* Fetch mail the day it arrives, or consider
renting a secure post office box.
Older Americans may find themselves
especially vulnerable to so-called phishing
scams, a type of identity theft that involves
emails announcing bogus sweepstakes
winnings or similar come-ons. Seniors and
those who care for them should constantly
remain on alert for attempts at capturing
the elderly's personal information.
Free samples or lottery winnings
needing only the recipient's personal
information to be delivered are common
methods of committing senior identity
theft. Other scams involve the scammer
posing as an elder's cash-strapped relative.
Whatever the ruse, seniors should educate
themselves in discerning the signs that
someone intends to defraud them.
For health reasons, many seniors carry
much personal information on them,
including their Medicare and Social
Security cards as well as a checkbook.
Should any of these items become stolen,
misplaced or lost, danger quite
conceivably could ensue. Prudent seniors
should think twice about taking these
items with them every time they
venture outdoors. Instead, key
information can be kept with a trusted
caregiver or appointed guardian.
SUSPECT IDENTITY THEFT
While identity theft plagues all
generations, knowing the various means
that fraudsters adapt to obtain the personal
information of children, adults and seniors
can help prevent financial devastation and
ensure financial security. However,
should you discover that you or someone
in your family has become a victim, it's
important to take action immediately.
Phone the Federal Trade Commission at
877-438-4338 or file a report online at
www.ftccomplaintassistant.gov. If the
fraud involves taxes or medical services,
you may also need to file a police report.
Taking action as soon as you suspect a
problem should limit the impact on the
affected person and help protect his or
her credit rating. 
Sources: www.identitytheft.gov,
www.identitytheftfacts.com
www.co-opliving.com
http://www.ftccomplaintassistant.gov http://www.identitytheft.gov http://www.identitytheftfacts.com http://www.co-opliving.com
Cooperative Living May 2016

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