News 12 at 6 o'clock, December 1, 2008

NORTH AUGUSTA, S.C.---Most people worry about their identity being stolen, without thinking about their kids', but it can happen to them just as easily.

"Most parents don't even know it can happen to kids. They think it can only happen to adults with credit cards open and that's not true," says Jennifer Price, a North Augusta High School junior.

Price, along with other members of the school's Future Business Leaders of America, are doing a community service project by teaching about identity theft. They're sharing their message with people of all ages, even elementary school kids.

One story Price shares is that of a 3-year-old whose identity was stolen, and the family didn't notice for 15 years.

"She found out someone had taken out a house and two cars and a boat in her name and she never even knew about it," says Price.

That's what makes children easy targets, since people don't check their credit reports often.

Monday the group shared their message with students at Paul Knox Middle School. Keyboarding teacher Jackie Young says it's good to let kids know about it when they're young.

"The more informed they'll be because you know the students are involved in technology or just going on the internet all the time," said Young.

Eighth grader Ashton Norris has Facebook and MySpace accounts, but thought thieves would steal the identity of only one kind of person.

"Rich older people but I didn't know they stole the identity of young people," said Norris.

That's why Price says parents need to talk to their kids about the crime. Some advice she gives is:

-Tell them never to give out personal information, including their parents' names.

-Don't put full information on their Myspace or Facebook page; use initials instead.

-Check their credit reports at least once a year.

-Be careful when giving out your child's social security number.

-Shred anything with their personal information on it.

-Change their passwords often.

-Look out for credit card offers in the mail. It could mean someone has stolen your child's identity.

-Use a firewall to prevent hackers from gathering information.