Story: Emerging Identity Theft Targets Teens, 08/29/05
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/extra/features/july-dec05/debt_5-25.html

Reading Comprehension Questions:

1. How many people became victims of identity theft last year? Who is most likely to become one?

2. What is identity theft?

3. Why are teens a likely target for identity thieves?

4. Where does most identity theft occur? What is the newest way for thieves to steal identities? How is this done?

5. On average, how long does it take to repair identity theft damage? How can a bad credit record impact with a person's financial life?

Discussion Activity (more research might be needed):

1. Have you or someone you know been a victim of identity theft? How did it happen? What was the outcome?

2. According to the article, students are not required to take a class on finance or managing credit. Are such classes available in your school? Would you take a personal finance class? Why or why not? Do you think all teens should have to take such a class? Explain your answer.

3. How can you prevent your identity from being stolen? What would be a good way to share this information with your classmates? How could you get them to listen to your plan?

Write a 300-500 word essay on any of these topics providing clear examples. Send your completed editorial to NewsHour Extra [extra@newshour.org]. Exceptional essays might be published on our Web site.