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by: PaulWilcox
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Studies done by the Federal Trade Commission have shown identity theft against children to be the fastest growing sector reporting complaints of identity theft. In many cases the children can't even trust their parents to protect them because sadly family members commit the majority of child identity thefts.

The government needs to step in and take measures to protect children from greedy or misled relatives. In addition, corporations who have taken steps to be more forgiving to adult victims of identity theft have to become more understanding when dealing with complaints of child identity theft.

Fastest Growing Segment Of Complaints Of Identity Theft

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) discovered that the incident of complaints of child identity theft rose from 2% of the total reports to 4% in only two years. This makes it the fastest growing segment of identity theft complaints, and it is only expected to grow more in the next few years. Many of these crimes were committed years ago and as individuals become more aware and look deeper into their children credit reports, the complaints of identity theft against children will most likely flood into the FTC's hotline.

The FTC estimates that a half of a million children fall victim to identity theft each year, however only about ten- or fifteen thousand are reported annually. This statistic leads the FTC to believe that not enough of the crimes are being noticed quickly enough. The reason behind this is often that the people responsible for protecting their child's identity until they are old enough to do it for themselves are often the very same individuals stealing the child's identity.

Majority Of Child Identity Thefts Committed By Family Members

Close family members or parents are at the root of more that 50% of complaints of identity theft against a child. Identities were usually stolen in times of great need, to pay for utilities, food, or prevent the loss of a vehicle.

A ruined credit report can be debilitating for a child five or ten years down the road, but parents typically the parents justify their criminal behavior by claiming it was for the best of the child at the time. It is not usually the intention of the parent to permanently damage their child's credit history.

About the Author

Concerned about identity theft and other internet threats? Find out how to set up solid internet security so you don't get attacked on the net. Get more helpful tips and safety information at http://www.securitymanor.com

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