Teens should take steps to avoid ID theft -- and parents can help.

Publication: The Dallas Morning News (Dallas, Texas) (via Knight-Ridder/Tribune Business News)

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COPYRIGHT 2005 The Dallas Morning News

Byline: Pamela Yip

Oct. 31--Some teenagers, navigating the delicate stage between childhood and adulthood, are being taught a life lesson by identity thieves.

"For young consumers -- people who are just entering the financial marketplace -- they really have to learn the skills to protect their own personal identifying information and not let it fall into the wrong hands," says Betsy Broder, assistant director of the Bureau of Consumer Protection at the Federal Trade Commission.

"They need to treat personal information as if it were money in their wallet. That may have even greater impact on your life than the money in your wallet."

Teenagers may not discover that someone's swiped their identities for years, says Judith Collins, associate professor of criminal justice at Michigan State University and an...

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