More than 500,000 teens and children become victims of identity theft each year, according to the Federal Trade Commission.
North Augusta High School's Future Business Leaders of America don't want area children among them.
The club is teaching children at each North Augusta public school and adults at area civic clubs about the importance of safeguarding personal information.
"We decided to do something to help present that identity theft is a fast-growing crime," said Jennifer Price, who presented the workshop with three other members at Paul Knox Middle School on Monday.
Identity theft of children likely won't be discovered until the child is an adult, she said.
The club performed a skit in which a teenager, played by Emily Roland, was denied a driver's license because of a bad credit report.
A bad credit report can affect a student's ability to get a college loan or open a bank account.
Thieves use personal data -- names, phone numbers, addresses and Social Security numbers, which they may find in a victim's mail, trash or on the Internet.
Jennifer cautioned pupils to be careful to whom they give personal information, especially on social networking sites.
A few pupils raised their hands when she asked if they have pictures of themselves along with their real name on their MySpace, Facebook or Bebo page.
"Whenever you get home tonight, please change that," she said.
She said thieves use that information, along with the picture, to search the Internet for additional information about the victim.
After the presentation, Jeremy Smith said he already knew how to be careful with his identity on the Internet.
The 12-year-old said he was approached for personal information on a social networking site a few months ago.
"(They) asked me what my first name was, and I wouldn't tell them," he said. "Then they asked me what my last name was, and I wouldn't tell them. So I just logged out."
Jeremy said he then used the "report as abuse" feature on the Web site.
Groups interested in hearing the presentation may contact Linda Skinner, the Future Business Leaders' adviser, at (803) 442-6147.
Reach Lisa Kaylor at (706) 828-3904 or lisa.kaylor@northaugustatoday.com.
ID THEFT INFO
What is identity theft?
The stealing of a person's financial information, especially credit cards and Social Security number, with the intention of using that data to commit fraud and create a phony persona.
PROTECT YOURSELF
- Give your Social Security number only when necessary, and always ask what it will be used for.
- Never put outbound mail in an unsecured mailbox. Instead, use the post office.
- Shred all trash-bound documents containing personal identification.
- Use passwords on phone, credit card and bank accounts and avoid using a simple password.
- Secure personal information in your home.
- Be careful when responding to promotions; determine the credibility of any offers before giving out information.
ON THE COMPUTER
- Never open files sent by strangers. They can contain spyware, which captures passwords and information as you type it .
- Use a firewall to prevent hackers from gaining access to your computer.
- Use a secure browser that has a lock icon in the browser status bar to guard online transactions.
- Delete all personal information on a computer by erasing the hard drive before disposing of it.
IF YOU ARE A VICTIM
- Place a fraud alert on your credit reports and review them. Contact Transunion at (800) 680-7289, Equifax at (800) 525-6285 and Experian at (888) EXPERIAN.
- Close any accounts that you believe have been tampered with or opened fraudulently.
- File a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission. Call (877) ID-THEFT.
- File a complaint with local police.
Source: www.onguardonline.gov
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