Logo remediation technology
October 14 - 16, 2025
The Westin
Westminster, CO
Conveniently Located between Boulder & Denver
search
linkedin youtube
  • Create Account
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
October 14 - 16, 2025
The Westin
Westminster, CO
Conveniently Located between Boulder & Denver
Logo remediation technology
  • HOME
  • SUBMIT ABSTRACT
  • REGISTER
    • Registration Fees
    • Register Now!
  • ATTEND
    • Agenda
    • Why Attend The Summit
    • Attended Companies
    • 2024 Photo Gallery
  • PRESENTERS
    • Scientific Advisory Board
    • Platform Presenters
    • Poster Presenters
  • SPONSOR/EXHIBIT
    • Become a Sponsor or Exhibitor
    • Exhibit Floor Plan
    • Exhibitor Resources
    • Event Logos & Ads
  • STUDENTS
    • Student Program
    • Past Student Winners
    • Submit Abstract
  • TRAVEL
  • NEWSLETTERS
  • CONTACT
    • Stay Connected
    • Show Staff

The Next Generation Security Leader

March 29, 2022

Identity theft criminals may target U.S. children more than adults, a new report suggests.

A report by AllClear ID says that 10.2 percent of the child identities scanned (4,311 victims) had someone else using their Social Security number - 51 times more frequently than the 0.2 percent rate for adults in the same population. 

The report shows stolen Social Security numbers for children as young as five months old are being used to secure employment, open credit card and bank accounts, purchase homes and automobiles and obtain driver's licenses. As a result of this new cyber epidemic, children are discovering their credit and credibility are destroyed just as they enter adulthood. As a consequence, they are being denied internships, student loans, and apartments due to attacks on their identity that occurred years earlier. Experts predict the damage to children will get even worse with healthcare identity theft on the rise.

"The data provides some disturbing evidence that identity thieves are targeting children due to the unique value of unused Social Security numbers," said Power, who has tracked the evolution of cyber crime over two decades. Main drivers for child identity theft, according to Power, include organized crime, illegal immigration and friendly theft, i.e., a relative or someone the child knows is committing the crime.

One report subject, a 14-year-old boy, unknowingly had $607,000 in fraudulent debt and a bad credit history that went back more than 10 years. Several credit cards and a foreclosed mortgage were already in his credit history, all from a suspect living in California. The thief established good credit for the first 10 years and was able to finance a $605,000 home in CA through first and second mortgages. He also used the boy's Social Security number to open several credit accounts.

 "Although millions of stolen identities are exposed every year, it's not typically a crime that is associated with children," said Julie Fergerson, board member of the Identity Theft Resource Center and Former Chairman & Co-Founder of the Merchant Risk Council. "However, if an attack on your child goes undetected, it can have equally devastating consequences, such as the inability to win approval on student loans, obtain a job or secure a place to live."

The report offers an analysis of over 42,000 identity protection scans performed on U.S. children (age 18 and under) during 2009-2010. The research was conducted using a patented technology called AllClear ID™, a leading provider of identity theft protection solutions for consumers.

"Parents don't usually think about their children's credit, but to criminals, a child's identity is a blank slate, and the probability of discovery is low since the child will not be attempting to open a line of credit for long period of time," said Bo Holland, CEO of Debix. "The good news is that, with proactive monitoring, child identity theft is a solvable problem."

Share This Story

Post a comment to this article

Report Abusive Comment

Manage My Account
  • eNewsletter
  • Online Registration
  • Manage My Preferences
  • Customer Service

More Videos

Related Articles

  • Active Vapor Sampling

    The Golden State: A global leader in the vapor intrusion evaluation industry

    See More

Related Products

See More Products
  • Risk Analysis and the Security Survey

  • The Web Application Hacker's Handbook: Discovering and Exploiting Security Flaws

  • Security Convergence

See More Products

Events

View AllSubmit An Event
  • April 8, 2022

    When Transportation Meets IP: How the San Jose Airport Took Security To the Next Level

     Mineta San Jose International Airport (SJC), located in the center of California’s Silicon Valley, is nearing the completion of a comprehensive $1.3 billion modernization program that began in 2007. The project includes the replacement and upgrade of terminal buildings, jetways and airline gates, ticketing lobbies, baggage handling and security systems, and roadways.
  • March 28, 2022

    SECURITY 500: What Are The Top 10 Trends Driving Enterprise Security?

    The Security 500 reports and ranks the biggest and best security programs and their executive leadership. In this exclusive presentation, the key trends among the leading security programs will be presented.
View AllSubmit An Event

Related Directories

  • Security Magazine

    It is a long established fact that a reader will be distracted by the readable content of a page when looking at its layout. The point of using Lorem Ipsum is that it has a more-or-less normal distribution of letters, as opposed to using 'Content here, content here', making it look like readable English. Many desktop publishing packages and web page editors now use Lorem Ipsum as their default model text, and a search for 'lorem ipsum' will uncover many web sites still in their infancy. Various versions have evolved over the years, sometimes by accident, sometimes on purpose (injected humour and the like).
  • Test Listing 1

    Lorem Ipsum L1 is simply dummy text of the printing and typesetting industry. Lorem Ipsum has been the industry's standard dummy text ever since the 1500s.
  • Test Listing 1 - Dup 12

    Lorem Ipsum L1 is simply dummy text of the printing and typesetting industry. Lorem Ipsum has been the industry's standard dummy text ever since the 1500s.
×

Get our eNewsletter delivered to your inbox!

Stay in the know on the latest environmental sciences & remediation news and information.

SUBSCRIBE TODAY

BNP Events

Privacy Policy | Code of Conduct | Scam Warning

Copyright ©2025. All Rights Reserved
Design, CMS, Hosting & Web Development :: ePublishing