Teens can be easy targets for fraudsters.

Scammers seek out teens because teens have clean records and no established credit reports. Teens are also avid social network and Internet users, where personal data are more readily available.

The result is that teens make up 6 percent of identity theft cases reported every year, according to the Federal Trade Commission.

ID theft happens when a fraudster uses your personal information — such as a Social Security, credit card or bank account number — to purchase goods and services.

Unfortunately, teens usually don’t find out about ID theft scams until they apply for a driver’s license or get a credit card. By then, the damage is already done, says Robert Siciliano, a Boston-based personal security expert. Identity thieves may have already racked up thousands in debt under the teen’s name. Read more…