Here's part 5 of an interesting article from Money magazine that lists several identity theft statistics -- many of which I found surprising. It's done in a question and answer format, so here is today's question:
What age group is most susceptible to identity theft?
The answer:
25 to 34. Contrary to popular belief, seniors had the lowest rate of ID theft, while 25- to 34-year-olds were most at risk. Why? The lifestyle of many Gen X-ers--going out often and trading personal information on MySpace.com and other social networking sites--creates more opportunity for identity thieves.
My thoughts:
1. Again, I'm very surprised at this finding (I guess that's the purpose of this piece, huh?). I would have guessed seniors all the way. But now that they explain it, it does make sense.
2. Add ID theft to the list of financial topics you teach your kids about. Then, when they are young adults, they'll be more guarded with their data and less likely to get into trouble.
I would have guessed college students. I see students on my campus give away tons of personal information to credit card companies that offer a coupon for a free sandwich if kids will sign up "for some information." The amount of information these people collect is scary. I've written about it here:
http://stockmama.blogspot.com/2006/05/would-you-sell-your-identity-for.html
Posted by: Stock Mama | June 01, 2006 at 02:15 PM