Child ID theft: Victim tells his story, hoping to help others avoid woes

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Zach Friesen first learned he owed money for a $40,000 houseboat when he turned 17 and applied for a job and a school loan.

Certainly he had never bought a houseboat.

Someone had stolen his identity when he was 7 and used it to get a loan. He's off the hook for the debt, but his credit remains damaged.

"I thought 'There's got to be something I can do as a victim to help people,'" he said.

Now 21 and a senior at the University of Colorado, Friesen has spent the past three years working for Qwest Communications' Incredible Internet Program talking to teens, parents, legislators and anyone else who will listen about teen identity theft.

On Monday he stopped at Skyline High School in Millcreek to caution students about the dangers of sharing too much information.

"High school students specifically are the target of identity theft," Friesen said. "They have clean lines of credit, so thieves know how much they are going to get when they target a child."

In addition, teens too often are willing to give out their information and don't check records such as credit reports that may turn up fraudulent activity.

In his case, Friesen said the thief had 10 years to get away with the crime and to this day, no one knows who stole his identity. When Friesen applied for his loan, the bank informed him of the debt and what the money had been used for.

He said teens and their parents can start by checking credit reports. Friesen said he is working with companies to try to get the expense of credit reports reduced for teens and for parents with multiple children.

Qwest started the Incredible Internet Program to offer families an online resource for smarter and safer Internet surfing, spokeswoman Katie Lessman said. The program seeks to educate teens before they learn the hard way that they're vulnerable to identity theft.

The company hired Friesen because he had a personal experience with identity theft and can relate what happened to him and other teens.

"It really opens some people's mind about identity theft," Robert Wilcox, a senior, said of Friesen's warning. "It's helpful. Most of the time we don't know what we're putting on the Internet."

Friesen said teens typically react with shock to his presentation. "I really want students to walk away with an understanding of what identity theft is and what to do in the event that it happens," Friesen said.