The Fraudian Slip Podcast: Javelin Strategy & Research - Child Identity Theft in 2025 - S6E9

Show Transcript

Welcome to the Fraudian Slip, the Identity Theft Resource Center’s (ITRC) podcast, where we talk about all things identity theft, fraud and scams that impact people and businesses. This month’s episode focuses on child identity theft. How does child identity theft occur in 2025? What should parents know and do as their kids head back to school?

Here to establish the current landscape from Javelin Strategy & Research’s perspective is their Director of Cybersecurity, Tracy Goldberg. ITRC CEO Eva Velasquez also joins us to highlight the ITRC’s on-the-ground experience with victims.

We talked with Tracy Goldberg and Eva Velasquez about the following:

• How significant is the problem of child identity theft in 2025? Are we seeing an increase in prevalence, or is the nature of the crime itself changing? How does child identity theft occur in 2025? What does the ITRC hear from parents of victims?
• Children are often targeted because their identities are a "blank slate." Could you break down what this means in practice? What are the most common ways a child's personally identifiable information (PII) is compromised, and how do criminals use a child’s pristine credit file for so-called "synthetic identity fraud"?
• With children engaging with the digital world at younger ages—through online gaming, social media and educational tools—their digital footprint is larger than ever. How has this fundamentally changed their risk profile? What specific online behaviors or platforms currently pose the greatest threat to a child's identity?
• It’s back-to-school season and parents are inundated with paperwork—enrollment forms, medical releases and permissions for online learning tools, all requiring sensitive data. What are the inherent risks in sharing so much PII with schools and their third-party educational vendors?
• What critical questions should parents be asking their school district about data security and retention policies, given that schools at all levels have been targeted by identity thieves, resulting in hundreds of data breaches and millions of students impacted?
• Kids in school today are digital natives who have never known a time when there were no iPhones or social media. What is the most effective way for parents to talk to their children and teens about digital privacy, the dangers of oversharing online and recognizing phishing attempts? At what age should these vital "digital citizenship" conversations begin?

Contact the ITRC

If you think you or someone you know has been the victim of child identity theft or another identity crime, you want to avoid being a victim or if you want an answer to the question “How does child identity theft occur?”, you can speak with an expert ITRC advisor. We’re available on the phone or via text (888.400.5530), you can chat with us live on the web or send us an email during normal business hours (6 a.m.-5 p.m. PT). Just visit www.idtheftcenter.org to get started.  

Please hit the like button for this episode and subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts. Join us next week for our sister podcast, the Weekly Breach Breakdown. Until then, thanks for listening.