ID theft targets: Kids

People under 18 are "the fastest-growing target for identity thieves," the Christian Science Monitor reports, citing US Federal Trade Commission figures. The FTC received 255,000 ID theft complaints last year, and – though complaints involving minors are growing fast – they're a much smaller percentage (5%) of overall complaints than that of college students and young adults. At 29%, 18-to-29-year-olds are the largest category. The Monitor tells the story of a sophomore at the University of Colorado, who found out when he applied for a job that his identity had been stolen when he was seven years old. "He learned that he had two names listed under his Social Security number and a sordid credit history." One vulnerability for college students ("over half of all ... info security breaches are at universities") mentioned by the Monitor was a shocker: "Nearly half of all college students have had their grades posted by Social Security number, according to the US Department of Education." At the University of Mississippi, 700 students' SS numbers were listed by their names on a public Web site. The article has a sidebar with tips for protecting against ID theft.