Juvenile Victimization in Identity TheftIntroductionIdentity theft is an ever-growing crime and in recent years we have seen an increase in the victimization of minors in this horrendous crime. Three important terms addressed in this research (that are important to know and understand) are identity theft, juvenile, and victimization. According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, identity theft is defined as “the unauthorized use or attempted use of existing accounts, or the unauthorized use or attempted use of personal information to open a new account or to other fraudulent purposes (Harrell, 2013)”. By minors we mean children, generally people under the age of 18. Victimization means to make someone a victim or to harm or commit a crime against someone. It is important to understand these terms to understand the full scope of the following research on youth victimization in identity theft (Woods, 2014). Problem Statement According to recent news reports and studies, children are at a greater risk of identity theft than adults, infants, and children. Youths have become the main target of criminals in the growing trend of this catastrophic crime. Identity theft is a crime that is difficult for an adult to recover from and reclaim their life after falling victim to it, much less an infant, child, or even a teenager. In an article published through the Juvenile Justice Exchange it states, “children under the age of 18 are 51 times more likely to become victims of identity theft than their parents” (Duda, 2011). Young people represent a such an attractive goal because of the high possibility that the theft will remain unknown for years. Just like for adults, juvenile identity theft can have lasting effects (sometimes even longer). card......s) online, and don't give children their Social Security cards and numbers until they understand how and why to protect them (Duda, 2011). children, as well as their. Works Cited Creswell, J. W. (2014). Children are at greater risk of identity theft than adults, study says. Retrieved from http://jjie.org/children-at-higher-risk-for-identity-theft-than-adults-study-says/Harrell, E., & Langton, L. Bureau of Justice Statistics, Programs. (2013). Victims of Identity Theft, 2012 (NCJ 243779). Retrieved from website: http://www.bjs.gov/index.cfm?ty=pbdetail&iid=4821Kanupp, B. (2014, April 04). Interview by TL Woods [Personal interview]. Youth victimization in identity theft. Woods, T. (2014). Unpublished work.