These days, more identity thieves are targeting kids for their crimes because of the low likelihood of being caught, and a new study has found that most parents aren't even aware of the issue.
In all, 84 percent of parents say they are either "somewhat" or "not at all" familiar with the concept of
child identity theft, according to a new poll from the credit monitoring bureau
Equifax. However, younger parents - those between the ages of 25 and 34 - are far more likely to be "extremely familiar" with this threat, as 47 percent responded in this way.
"This new research tells us that many parents are still unaware of the threat of child
identity theft, while data from the Federal Trade Commission and other sources show it is an increasing problem," said Trey Loughran, president of the Personal Information Solutions unit of Equifax. "There is a gap between perception and reality."
Matt Cullina, chief executive officer of Identity Theft 911, has a blog about the threats kids face from this type of identity theft and what their parents can do to protect them.
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