These days, identity thieves have fewer scruples than ever before, and routinely target two age groups in an effort to get away with their crimes: children and the elderly.
In much the same way that
child identity theft can be harmful because of the extremely low likelihood that the victim would believe they have reason to check their credit reports, according to a report from the
Society of Certified Senior Advisors. Where kids are concerned, they shouldn't have a credit standing at all, but seniors do and because of the infrequency with which they're likely to check it, they can be ideal victims. It might take as long as a few years for
identity theft to be discovered.
It takes vigilance on the part of seniors to protect themselves from this type of fraud, and that includes not only ordering copies of their credit report regularly, but also carefully monitoring their credit card and bank statements for any potential inconsistencies.
Adam Levin, chairman for Identity Theft 911, has a blog about the issues consumers of all ages face as a result of identity theft.
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