The statistics on whose identity is stolen most often is rather surprising. One might think it was people who are at the peak of earning power or older people who arent considered as internet savvy. But its neither of those groups. Its the 18-24 year olds who are hit most often.

Theres a new study out about this, and the details are scathing. It seems the age group who is the most wired and the most up to date on computers, cell phones, and every other piece of computing hardware are the ones who most often fall prey to phishing and identity theft. Research says that they are very trusting and quite flippant in how they deal with their information. Between sharing - or over sharing as the case may be - on Facebook, My Space and other social networking sites, they put all their information out there for everyone to see. What is most interesting is that they often dont even know their identities have been stolen for months and months. Even in the over 60 group, they tend to realize it within a month. So much damage can be done in months that bank accounts can be totally wiped out and with no recourse for recouping any lost funds. Most banks allow claims for sixty days, and after that youre out of luck.

If you have college kids or know people in this age group, they need to know they are at risk, and to stop sharing all their information with the world. Monitor those bank accounts and watch the credit card bills closely. It might take a lot longer than a few months to recoup from identity theft.

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