By Steve Rosen
From Tribune Content Agency
Teens these days—and many parents too—are obsessed with social media. So are scammers looking for identity theft targets.
For victims, the day-to-day impact of letting your guard down can be life-changing, both financially and emotionally. And the problem appears to be worsening, according to the Identity Theft Resource Center (ITRC) recently-released 2022 “Consumer Impact Report.”
The report showed an alarming 1,000 percent increase in social media account takeovers over the past year compared with 2021.
The report reflects the responses of 120 victims who contacted the San Diego-based nonprofit consumer organization between April 2021 and March 2022. ITRC, which has released its consumer impact report since 2003, also sought feedback in an online survey of more than 1,300 consumers to gain a broader understanding of how identity theft had impacted victims’ lives….