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TLDR
The FTC encourages parents to use the back to school season as a moment to discuss financial wellness with teens. Identity theft targeting young people is rising, especially around college applications, scholarship portals, and first...
How it works
The FTC encourages parents to use the back to school season as a moment to discuss financial wellness with teens. Identity theft targeting young people is rising, especially around college applications, scholarship portals, and first...
Red flags
- : Unsolicited offers of "pre approved" credit cards or student loans arriving in your teen's name Mail, email, or texts about accounts or balances your child never opened Calls from "debt collectors" demanding payment on debts that do not belong to your family What to do: Check whether your teen has a credit report at IdentityTheft.gov and place a freeze if any file exists Teach kids never to share Social Security numbers, school logins, or passport details online Use the FTC's free resources on money management and identity protection to start the conversation early and repeat it often
What to do
- 1Red flags: Unsolicited offers of "pre approved" credit cards or student loans arriving in your teen's name Mail, email, or texts about accounts or balances your child never opened Calls from "debt collectors" demanding payment on debts that do not belong to your family What to do: Check whether your teen has a credit report at IdentityTheft.gov and place a freeze if any file exists Teach kids never to share Social Security numbers, school logins, or passport details online Use the FTC's free resources on money management and identity protection to start the conversation early and repeat it often
Source
ftc-consumer-blog
Source reviewed by Mythos Forensic Team
https://consumer.ftc.gov/%3Ca%20href%3D%22https%3A//consumer.ftc.gov/consumer-alerts/2026/08/how-talk-your-teens-about-credit-and-identity-theft%22%20hreflang%3D%22en%22%3Eview%3C/a%3EFAQ
Is Talking to Teens About Credit and Identity Theft: An FTC Guide for Parents a real scam pattern?
Yes. Treat the message, call, or payment request as suspicious until you verify it through an official channel.
What are the first warning signs?
: Unsolicited offers of "pre approved" credit cards or student loans arriving in your teen's name Mail, email, or texts about accounts or balances your child never opened Calls from "debt collectors" demanding payment on debts that do not belong to your family What to do: Check whether your teen has a credit report at IdentityTheft.gov and place a freeze if any file exists Teach kids never to share Social Security numbers, school logins, or passport details online Use the FTC's free resources on money management and identity protection to start the conversation early and repeat it often
What should I do first?
Red flags: Unsolicited offers of "pre approved" credit cards or student loans arriving in your teen's name Mail, email, or texts about accounts or balances your child never opened Calls from "debt collectors" demanding payment on debts that do not belong to your family What to do: Check whether your teen has a credit report at IdentityTheft.gov and place a freeze if any file exists Teach kids never to share Social Security numbers, school logins, or passport details online Use the FTC's free resources on money management and identity protection to start the conversation early and repeat it often
Can LegalAudit check my case?
Yes. Start a free chat and paste the message, link, sender, or payment details for triage.