Identity theft is when someone steals your personal information and pretends to be you, usually to get money, accounts, or services.
What do thieves want? Things like your full name, birthday, address, passwords, account numbers, school login, Social Security number, email, and phone number.
Why is it a problem? It can lead to fake accounts, stolen money, trouble logging in, damaged trust, and a lot of wasted time fixing things.
How do you stay safe? Keep your passwords secret, use strong passwords and MFA, be careful what you share online, ask a trusted adult before sharing personal info, watch out for scams and phishing, lock your devices, and shred or protect important papers.
Here is a real example. Mia gets a message from someone she does not know, asking for her name, birthday, and school login. She pauses, thinks "this seems suspicious," checks with a trusted adult, and does not share. Safe and smart.
Remember: personal info is powerful, keep it private, pause before you share, ask a trusted adult, and protect your identity.
What to remember
- Identity theft is someone using your info to pretend to be you.
- Thieves want names, birthdays, passwords, and numbers.
- Keep personal info private; use strong passwords and MFA.
- Pause before sharing, and ask a trusted grown-up.
Words to know
- Identity theft
- Stealing personal info to impersonate someone.
- Personal information
- Details that identify you.
- MFA
- A second login step that helps stop theft.
- Shred
- Destroy papers with personal info on them.
For grown-ups
Identity theft is the misuse of someone's personal or financial information to impersonate them for fraud. Protective basics: guard identifiers, use unique passwords and MFA, share cautiously, watch for phishing, and secure documents. For kids the rule is simple: personal info is powerful, keep it private and verify before sharing.
Want the full story? These go deeper:
