Name: Joseph Kim
Lesson: Identity Theft (Model Lesson Plan)
Source: YouTube, PowerPoint from FTC website.
Time: 50 mins
I. Goals
A. Give the students practical information that they will benefit from and can apply to situations
in their lives regarding identity theft.
II. Objectives
A. Knowledge objectives:
1. Students will know how to avoid and prevent identity theft
2. Students will know what to do if their identity is stolen
B. Skills objectives:
1. Students will be able to cancel their credit cards
2. Students will be able to file a police report
C. Attitude objectives
1. Students will be interested and empowered by the information
III. Classroom methods
A. Game (5 - 10 minutes)
1. Pass out Post it notes
2. Instruct students to write down the name of someone famous but to not show anyone.
3. Tell students to pass the post it to the right and stick the one they receive to their head.
4. Tell students to ask each other yes or no questions to figure out who they are and to sit
down when they figure it out.
The game is related because the students have taken the identity of someone famous and
committed “Identity Theft” without realizing it. Some students will have a hard time figuring out
who they are, which is similar to the frustrations people will feel when trying to get their own
identity back.
B. Video
Show Catch Me If You Can trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=71rDQ7z4eFg
Video is a trailer for the movie Catch Me If You Can, which depicts the story of Frank Abagnale
who was famous for impersonating a pilot, a doctor, a lawyer, etc. The video will give the
students time to settle down after the game and help transition and introduce the topic of identity
theft.
C. LECTURE/ACTIVITY (10-15 minutes)
1. Ask students what personal information that they have with them at school.
a. Possible answers: debit cards, credit cards, drivers’ license, student ids,
anything that is on their phones.
2. Get students to volunteer how they think information is obtained
a. Split class in half: one half (group 1) comes up with one method to get
information; other half (group 2) comes up with a way to protect information
from that method,
b. Switch, group 2 comes up with a new method to get info, and group 1 comes up
with way to protect the info.
c. Switch and continue until they run out of ideas.
Examples on following page.
3. Give lecture on identity theft (found in attached PowerPoint)
a. Students can ask questions as you go or afterwards
C. ACTIVITY (20-30 minutes)
1. Pass out handout
2. Have students break into small groups and answer the handout
3. Regroup and go through scenarios one by one as a class
a. Ask how they can prevent the situation.
IV. Evaluation
participation in class, handout
How they steal
1. Dumpster Diving. They simply rummage through your trash looking for bills or other paper with
your personal information on it.
2. Skimming. Steal credit or debit card info with a special device when processing your card.
3. Phishing. They pretend to be banks, the IRS or some other organization and send you an email or a
letter (or even make a phone call) asking for personal information.
4. Changing Your Address. They file a change of address, creating a new address for you so they can
receive your billing statements. Once they have the statements, they can access your account.
5. Stealing. They steal wallets, purses, and even mail (bank statements, credit card statements,
preapproved credit offers, new checks, or tax information anything with your personal information).
They may also take personnel records or bribe employees, who have access, to give them your info.
6. Pretexting. They use false information to get your personal information from financial institutions,
telephone companies, and other sources. They pretend to be you to get the information; then they either
use it against you or sell it someone else to use.
7. Hacking. They may hack into your computer or another computer system, including schools, credit
card companies, and other places maintaining personal information.
How to protect yourself
1. Leave your Social Security card in a secure place. Carrying it in your purse or wallet is not secure.
Be careful about giving out your Social Security number or using it as an ID number. With that one
number, ID thieves can find out almost everything there is to know about you.
2. Buy a small paper shredder and shred credit card offers, credit card checks mailed from your card
company, insurance forms, and other papers with your name and personal information on it.
3. Only enter personal data on secure Web sites.
4. Use passwords on your credit card, bank and cell phone accounts. Avoid passwords that others may
know, such as mother’s maiden name, birth date, address, last four digits of your Social Security
number or phone numbers. Use passwords that are combinations of letters and numbers.
5. NEVER give out any personal information on the phone, through mail, Internet, email, or in person
unless you have initiated the contact and you are sure who you are dealing with. ID thieves can be very
clever and very convincing, so avoid being tricked by their false stories. Remember, the IRS, your
bank, your credit card company, and other places where you do business already have your personal
information. They do not need to ask you to get it from you!
6. Carry only the identification information and the credit/debit cards that you actually need when you
go out. Avoid responding to promotions. Identity thieves may create phony promotional offers to get
your personal information.
7. Keep your purse or wallet in a safe place at school and at work. Pick up orders of new checks at the
bank instead of having them mailed to your home address.
1. John throws all of the copies of his bills and credit card statements in the trash. He receives a call from
his credit card company asking him if he has been to Cancun recently and purchased a large amount of
diving equipment. John has never traveled outside of the United States. Identify the victim and the
violator. Which term describes how a thief got John’s credit card information? How should he
respond?
2. Emma has not received a bill from her credit card company for three months. She has been charging
items to her credit card and has been wondering why she has not been billed. She called the company and
was told that the bills had been sent to her and that she is now in jeopardy of losing her card because her
account is three months overdue. Identify the victim and the violator. Which term describes why
Emma did not receive her bill? How should she respond?
3. Henry received an email asking him to confirm his credit card information and then he clicked on the
link in the email that directed him to a site that asked him to fill in the blanks with his name, social security
card number and his credit card number. The site looked like the legitimate organization’s site so he
complied with the request. Soon after he supplied the information, he received a bill from his credit card
company with several purchases he had not made. Identify the victim and the violator. Which term
describes what happened to Henry? How should he respond?
4. Calvin ordered new checks. After several weeks he called his bank to ask why he had not received them.
The bank clerk told him that the checks had been mailed a week and a half ago. When he received his bank
statement, he finds that someone has been writing checks on his account.
What term describes what happened to Calvin? How should he respond?
5. Erika’s grandmother paid for their lunch with a credit card. The waitperson brought her back the card
and she signed the receipt. A month later, several charges appeared on her grandmother’s credit card bill
that she had not made. Identify the victim and the violator. What term describes what the waitperson
did? What should Erika advise her grandmother?
6. Sarah wants a new outfit but doesn’t have the money to buy it. She calls Matt’s credit card pretending to
be Matt and tells the company that she has lost her credit card and needs a new one.
Identify the victim and the violator. What term describes what Sarah did? What should Matt do?
7. Jason is a computer nerd with exceptional skills. He is able to access computers that belong to other
people. He obtains Ms. Mac’s bank and credit card account numbers and uses them to order items from
Amazon.com. Identify the victim and the violator. What term describes what Jason is doing? What
should Ms. Mac do?
Answers to Handout
1. Victim: John
Violator: Thief
Method: Dumpster Diving
Response: 1. Contact fraud division of the three credit bureaus 2. File complaint with FTC 3.
Contact Police 4. Contact credit card companies
2. Victim: Emma
Violator: Mail Thief
Method: Changing Address
Response: 1. Contact fraud division of the three credit bureaus 2. File complaint with FTC 3.
Contact Police 4. Contact credit card companies
3. Victim: Henry
Violator: Email thief
Method: Phishing
Response: 1. Contact fraud division of the three credit bureaus 2. File complaint with FTC 3.
Contact Police 4. Contact credit card companies
4. Victim: Calvin
Violator: Mail thief
Method: Stealing
Response: 1. Contact fraud division of the three credit bureaus 2. File complaint with FTC 3.
Contact Police 4. Contact bank
5. Victim: Erika’s grandmother
Violator: Waitperson
Method: Skimming
Response: 1. Contact fraud division of the three credit bureaus 2. File complaint with FTC 3.
Contact Police 4. Contact credit card companies
6. Victim: Matt
Violator: Sarah
Method: Pretexting
Response: 1. Contact fraud division of the three credit bureaus 2. File complaint with FTC 3.
Contact Police 4. Contact credit card companies 5. Get better friends
7. Victim: Ms. Mac
Violator: Jason
Method: Hacking
Response: 1. Contact fraud division of the three credit bureaus 2. File complaint with FTC 3.
Contact Police 4. Contact credit card companies
Ask how the situations could have been prevented.