GREENSBORO, N.C. — "There's no morality here that scammers are not going to do that to kids. Kids are just as much of a target, if not more so," said Eva Velasquez, CEO, Identity Theft Resource Center.

According to the Federal Trade Commission, about 2% of the U.S. identity theft reports in 2025 so far have involved children under the age of 19. Just like adults, kids are caught in data breaches that compromise social security numbers or medical information

"One of the reasons that children's identities are so appealing to the bad actors is because kids don't engage in the world the same way adults do," said Velasquez.

Kids aren't using debit or credit cards daily. They're not paying a recurring bill monthly. They don't get mail about payment dates. So scammers can steal a child's ident

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