They are out there, and they are looking for you. They know that kids spend a lot of time on the Internet and the phone. They also know that when your mind is on your IMs, text messages, and phone conversations with friends, you aren't thinking about who else might be watching and listening. The offenders1 listed here are just a few of the kinds of crooks2 who would love to know you better.
If you think that you aren't giving away3 anything important, think again. Identity thieves may know more than you realize. With your unsuspecting help, they can learn even more. Your Social Security Number (SSN) and a few other key facts are all a thief needs to steal your good name—and leave you stuck with a criminal record or staggering4 debts.
That is what happened to Zach Friesen. At 17, he applied for a job. The prospective5 employer did a credit check. Only then did Zach find out that he was tens of thousands of dollars in debt.
When Zach was only 7, someone using his identity had bought a $40,000 houseboat6, among other things. Zach himself was innocent of wrongdoing, but his record made him look irresponsible, even criminal. The long-gone thief was never caught.
Are You the Only You?
In 2005, more than 245,000 cases of identity theft were reported to law-enforcement7 agencies. More than 11,000 of those victims were younger than 18. The actual number of young victims is much higher, because many won't know what happened to them for years to come.
Kids make great targets because the younger the victim, the more time the thief is likely to have before anyone becomes suspicious. Kids get an SSN at birth but rarely use it until applying for a job at 16 or college at 18. Only then—like Zach Friesen—do they discover problems.
That is why so many ID thefts are being reported by people aged 18 to 29. For many of those victims, someone had been misusing their identity for years—in some cases, a decade or more.
Strangers are not the only people who saddle8 kids with debt. “More frequently, it is a family member who has stolen a kid's identity,” Linda Foley said. Foley is executive9 director and co-founder of the Identity Theft Resource Center (ITRC).“I know of an 8-year-old girl who told her mother that she had seen her father with a credit card in her name,” said Foley. “The mother said, ‘Oh, it must have been your library card.’ When the girl was 11, she found a bill in her name. That convinced her mother.” But by then, the girl's record was burdened with three years' worth of debt.
Foley and her husband founded the ITRC to help victims of the painful crime. In 1997, Foley's identity was stolen, she says,“by someone I considered a friend.” Posing as Foley, the woman applied for a cell-phone account and three credit cards. Unlike Zach Friesen's thief, Foley's was caught, convicted10, and sent to prison. Catching ID thieves, though, is no guarantee that they will pay back what is owed—even if so ordered by a court.
Be a Crime Buster11
You can do a lot to protect yourself—and your family—from ID theft. Remember our DOs and DON'Ts!
★DO keep personal information private. “Remember: You do not know who is reading your blogs or personal profiles online,” said Foley. “They are strangers—and may not be who they say they are.”
★DON'T download “free” software or open e-mail attachments from unreliable sources. They could install spyware12 or Web crawlers13 on your computer.
★DO be suspicious if bills or “preapproved” credit-card offers arrive in your name. Ask a parent or other responsible adult to make sure that someone hasn't set up accounts in your name.
★DON'T ever give anyone credit-card or bank-account information over the telephone, unless your parents have authorized it.
★DO leave your Social Security card at home—and, said Foley,“Never give out your SSN or that of any family member.”
★DON'T get caught off guard14! Find out how else you can protect yourself and loved ones.
他们就在那儿，他们正在找你。他们知道孩子们花很多时间上网或打电话。他们还知道你在关注即时信息、短信或与朋友煲电话，压根儿不会想到有人在一旁监视和偷听。这里列出的不过是其中的几种骗子，他们可乐意更多地知道你的情况呢。
假如你认为自己不会泄露任何重要的个人资料，还请三思。身份窃贼所知道的可能要比你意识到的多。如果你毫无戒心，他们会知道更多。你的社会保险号码（SSN）以及其他一些重要信息，都是身份小偷想要窃取你良好声名的全部所需——而且最终留下犯罪记录使你难以摆脱， 或者让你债务缠身。
泽克·弗里森曾遭遇如此窘境。他17岁时申请工作，未来的老板对他进行了信誉调查。直到那时，泽克才知道自己竟然欠下了数万美元的债务。
泽克7岁那年，有人冒用他的身份购买了一艘价值4万美元的游艇以及其他物品。泽克本人倒是无辜的，但是他的记录却让人觉得他这人不负责任，甚至涉嫌犯罪。而那个窃贼却依然逍遥法外。
你是惟一的你吗？
2005年，执法部门接到超过245，000起身份盗窃的报案，其中11，000多名受害者的年龄在18岁以下，而实际受害的年轻人更多，因为许多人并不知道日后会发生什么。
小孩很容易成为身份盗窃对象。因为受害人年龄越小，人们越不容易疑心，窃贼拥有的作案时间越多。每个孩子一出生就有了社会保险号，但是他们直到16岁申请工作或18岁上大学时才会用这个号码。只有到了这个时候，像泽克·弗里森一样，他们才发现问题。
这也是为什么年龄在18岁和29岁之间的人会大量报案称其身份资料被盗，其中不少人的身份多年来一直被盗用，有些长达10年或更长时间。
让这些年轻人背负债务的不仅仅是陌生人。“更多情况下，是家庭成员盗用了孩子的身份。”琳达·弗利说。弗利是身份盗窃资源中心（ITRC）的创办人之一，并担任该中心的执行主任。“我知道一个8岁的女孩。她曾经告诉母亲，她看见父亲携带印有她名字的信用卡，”弗利说。“那位母亲说：‘噢，那一定是你的图书卡。’等她长到11岁时，发现了一张印有她名字的账单。她母亲才相信了她的话。”但是那时，这个女孩已经背上了3年的债务记录了。
弗利与丈夫一起创办了这家身份盗窃资源中心，为那些深受身份被窃之苦的人提供帮助。1997年，弗利的身份被人盗用，她说：“是被一个我视为朋友的人盗用的。”那个女人冒充弗利申请了一个手机账号和三张信用卡。但是，与盗用泽克·弗里森身份的窃贼不同的是，盗用弗利身份的窃贼落网了，被判刑入狱。可是，即使抓住了身份窃贼，也并不能保证受害人的损失能得到偿还——即使法庭宣判偿还也没用。
挫败犯罪
你可以采取一系列措施来保护自己和家人避免身份被窃。请牢牢记住以下“几要”与“几不要”。
★自己的个人资料一定要保密。“切记：你根本无法知道什么人会看你的博客或别的网上个人资料，”弗利说。“他们是陌生人，而且可能根本不是他们自称的那个人。”
★不要下载“免费”软件或打开来源不可靠的邮件附件。有人可能在你的电脑里安装间谍软件或网络爬虫。
★如果发现署有自己姓名的账单或“已核”信用卡，一定要提高警惕。可以叫父母或其他负责的成人查清楚是否有人盗用你的姓名开设账户。
★不要通过电话告诉任何人有关信用卡或银行账户的信息，除非经父母允许。
★一定要把社会保险卡放在家里。弗利说：“千万不要让别人知道你自己以及家人的社会保险号码。”
★不要事到临头措手不及！想想你还能做些什么保护自己和亲人。
1. offender n. 罪犯
2. crook [kruk] n. （美口）骗子
3. give away 泄露，暴露
4. staggering adj. 巨大的，大得惊人的
5. prospective adj. 预期的，未来的
6. houseboat n. 游艇
7. enforcement n. 实施，强制执行
8. saddle v. 使负担，强加
9. executive adj. 执行的，行政的
10. convict v. 宣判…有罪
11. crime buster刑事警探 buster n. 挫败…的人
12. spyware n. 间谍软件
13. crawler n. 爬行的动物
14. catch sb. off guard 使某人措手不及