Identity Theft

1. Identity Theft Don’t be a victim!

2. What is identity theft? • When someone uses your information for their own gain. • Thieves use personal information about you to • open up fraudulent credit cards, • get student loans, • even get out of traffic tickets. • Identity theft has increased steadily over the past few years • over 230 million records that have been compromised since January 2005.

3. According to the National Foundation for Credit Counseling, nearly 10 million people became victim of identity theft in 2008 with thieve stealing nearly $50 billion dollars. • See one family’s identity theft nightmare. • Review this presentation to learn some of the ways an imposter can get your personal information and what they can do with it.

10. Identity theft can affect everyone, including teenagers. It is important for you to know what information is needed to steal your identity and the best ways of protecting your information and your future. Be knowledgeable when giving out any personal information about yourself, including to people you may know and trust. •  Take the quiz “How Identity Theft Savvy Are You?” • Use a computer calculator to keep your score. Keep your score and type it at the top of the Word document used for the next task. • Assignment • List 3 ways identity thieves use to steal information and 3 good solutions for preventing identity theft. • You can use the consumer resources at Protect Your ID for your research. • Type your answers on a Word document • Save as period number last name first name Identity • CCHS – print • LHS – put on grading flash drive