Youth in the UAE more at risk of ID theft crimes

Abu Dhabi: Young people are spending a lot of their time online with every advancement of technology and social networking websites but their slightest lapse could make them vulnerable to identity theft crimes, an expert has cautioned.

Dr Esma Aimeur, Full Professor and Co-Chair of the Masters in E-commerce programme at Universite de Montreal, said many youngsters took the issue of security awareness lightly and did not take the time to properly set their security settings.

She said young people are more at ease sharing details about themselves with others but not as adept at protecting personal information. "Filmed before they were born…they have already accepted that privacy is an illusion," she said.

Dr Aimeur was presenting a paper during the second International ICST Conference on digital forensics and cyber crime in the capital recently. "People do not spend as much time reading the privacy parts of the websites. They don't really set their privacy setting because they see it as unimportant," she said.

"They haven't been hurt by it yet. They are young and they want to show off about how much their salary is, about their different travels and about who they are dating," she added.

Identity theft, which involves using someone's personal information without their prior consent, can lead to many serious problems. Identity thieves can use someone's personal information to apply for loans, obtain government benefits or cite false tax information.

"There are many reasons for identity theft such as revenge and a feeling of outsmarting the system," said Dr Ebrahim Baggili, Assistant Professor and Director of the Advanced Cyber Forensics Laboratory Faculty at Zayed University.

"I believe students tend to be targets of identity theft because they use the internet most of the day more than others, and it is easier to find out who they are through their [online] activities," he added.

Personal info: Chances of misuse

Your personal information can be used for:

- Applying for a credit card under your name

- Opening a new bank account

- Applying for loans

-  Renting an apartment

- Damaging your reputation

- Your information can be given out when a criminal is stopped by the police

Source: Dr Esma Aimeur