When it comes to online identity theft, no one thinks of children. It is perhaps the most damaging type of cybercrime and the least socially accepted of all. It occurs when someone steals and uses the identity of a minor for their own benefit. Lack of negative credit information for a child means identity thieves have an easy path to opening and using fraudulent credit accounts in the child's name.
In the United States there are already 1.7 million victims, with a cost per family to repair the damage estimated at more than 1,000 euros. In Spain, the rise of social networks in children between the ages of 10 and 12 has set off all the alarm bells in the cybersecurity sector. According to the latest study by Eurostat, the European Statistical Office, Spain is the country with the most victims of online identity fraud in the entire European continent.
Eurostat reports establish that it takes an average of 5.4 months for a person to realize that they are being a victim of identity theft. With children they can spend years. Maybe until they decide to open their own account, register with Social Security, start their first job or apply for their first loan. "It is when they realize that the minor's data is compromised, and the purposes can be multiple: from opening bank accounts, used in money laundering and fraud, to applying for credit cards in their name or obtaining fraudulent social benefits and loans," says Josep Albors, director of research and awareness at the cybersecurity company ESET.
In Spain there are still no official data, but the figures coming from the United States are chilling: in 2021, 1.7 million children were subjected to identity theft, which meant losses of up to 555 million euros, according to a study Produced by digital consulting firm Javelin Strategy
The rise of social media and time spent online, plus the growing reliance on digital transactions, have added to the risks children face, according to Tracy Kitten, report author and Javelin's director of fraud and security. , who notes: “This has just opened the door for cybercriminals.” “Unfortunately, seven out of ten parents and guardians are unaware of the need to monitor their children's social media accounts,” Kitten adds.
The study also reveals that it is not strangers who put children at greatest risk. According to Javelin, 67% of households with child victims of identity fraud knew the perpetrators personally. The father figure, the partner or spouse of a parent or guardian, or a step-parent, is the most likely perpetrator.
In Spain, one of the latest studies carried out on the use of the Internet by minors has been carried out by the Valencian Association of Consumers and Users (AVACU) with results that give food for thought: 68% of Spanish minors between 10 and 12 years old uses social networks on a regular basis, despite the fact that in Spain it is prohibited. The data protection regulations for the treatment of minors establish the age limit to access social networks at 14 years. This means that, supposedly, a minor under the age of 13 would need the consent of her parents to be able to have their own account on a social network. "In our country it is much more difficult for these figures to be given, but with the irruption of online banking the panorama is changing," analyzes Albors, who as an expert advises extreme precautions.
