Child and Family Cybersecurity Study

Children are increasingly targeted by cybercriminals for widespread exploitation that bleeds over into identity theft for the perpetuation of synthetic identity fraud, scams, social manipulation that results in account takeovers, and scams, taking long-term financial and emotional tolls on the children who are targeted and their families.

2024 Child & Family Cybersecurity Study, Social Media and Children: A Dangerous Game of Trust and Deceit

Whitepaper
Date: December 5, 2024
Authors: Tracy Kitten
Research Topic(s): Cybersecurity, Fraud & Security

Children’s prevalence on social media puts them at increasing risk of being targeted not only for identity theft but also for money mule recruitment, extortion, and cyberbullying, all of which can have devastating financial and psychological eff...

Child ID Theft: Social Cyber Risks and the Persistent Threat to Families

Whitepaper
Date: November 28, 2023
Authors: Tracy Kitten
Research Topic(s): Cybersecurity

The extreme risks children face online continue to be largely ignored among parents and guardians, despite mounting governmental pressure within the United States and abroad for social media companies to adhere to more restrictive practices that...

Child Identity Fraud: The Perils of Too Many Screens and Social Media

Whitepaper
Date: October 26, 2022
Authors: Tracy Kitten
Research Topic(s): Fraud & Security, Fraud Management

The number of U.S. families affected by child identity fraud over the past year (July 2021 to July 2022) saw a healthy decline, from 1.25 million children who fell victim to ID fraud to only 915,000—a strong and positive message for financial in...

Child Identity Fraud: A Web of Deception and Loss

Whitepaper
Date: November 2, 2021
Authors: Tracy Kitten
Research Topic(s): Fraud & Security, Fraud Management

Child identity fraud costs U.S. families nearly $1 billion annually. It affects one out of every 50 children and takes parents and guardians a tremendous amount of time to resolve. Although child ID theft and fraud are not new, the topic has tak...

2018 Child Identity Fraud Study

Whitepaper
Date: April 24, 2018
Authors: Kyle Marchini
Research Topic(s): Fraud Management, Fraud & Security

This original report, sponsored by Identity Guard, examines the risks that child identity fraud poses to minors and their guardians along with the most effective steps that guardians can take to mitigate those risks.