Robert Siciliano Identity Theft Expert

A few months ago I interviewed a criminal hacker who hacks out of a hut in Ghana stealing data all over the world. He has children ages 9 and 12 and he stated “they hacked all over the world man.” He teaches his kids to hack. It’s not just a lifestyle, it’s an occupation. He and his kids are the most famous in their village.

It comes as no surprise to me, but it may be to you that a survey has found that one in four school children have attempted some level of hacking.

SC Reports “Despite 78 per cent agreeing that it is wrong, a quarter have tried to surreptitiously use a victims’ password, with almost half saying that they were doing it ‘for fun’. However 21 per cent aimed to cause disruption and 20 per cent thought they could generate an income from the activity. Five per cent said that they would consider it as a career move.

Of those who had tried hacking, a quarter had targeted Facebook accounts, 18 per cent went for a friend’s email, seven per cent for online shopping sites, six per cent for their parent’s email and five per cent breached the school website. A bold three per cent had honed their skills enough to aim much higher with corporate websites under their belts.”

Children’s hacking is kids playing. Hacking is replacing dodge ball. Kids today don’t know what it means not to have the Internet. I see more articles talking about how to get your kid outside and away from the computer. Part of the problem is kickball got out a lot of the childhood angst and pent up energy out of their systems. Now they funnel that energy into using technology. For good and for bad. Kids are mischievous too. And given the opportunity will break, steal or deface whatever is in their path. I was 15 once too; but I was an Angel.

Protect your identity.

1. Get a credit freeze and follow the steps for your particular state. This is an absolutely necessary tool to secure your credit. In most cases, it prevents new accounts from being opened in your name. This makes your Social Security number useless to a potential identity thief.

2. Invest in Intelius identity theft protection and prevention. Not all forms of identity theft can be prevented, but identity theft protection services can dramatically reduce your risk. (Disclosures)

Robert Siciliano Identity Theft Speaker discussing Criminal Hackers on Fox News