Brosiura en

Identity Theft: Prevention through Education

Published by: Lithuanian Consumer Institute S. Konarskio str. 49-604 LT-03123 Vilnius

www.vartotojai.lt/en

Author of the cover picture: Rasa Joni

Circulation: 105 copies. Brochure is for free.

© Lithuanian Consumer Institute, 2015

The publication is part of the Project ‘ID Theft: Prevention through Education’, which is co-financed by the Programme on Prevention and Fight against Crime of the European Commission.

The Lithuanian Consumer Institute holds liability for the content of the publication, which does not reflect the opinion of the European Union in any way.

Table of Contents

1. Overview of the project. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

2. Innovativeness and Achievements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

3. Activities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

4. Publications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10

world’s population are online and mobile–cellular communications are used by almost 6.8 billion persons – close to global population figures*. This shows that there are favourable conditions for the spread of ID thefts, in particular, on the electronic space.

Thus, education, in the opinion of the Project implementers, is the first step to prevent identity thefts.

* Source: www.itu.int/go/mis2013

1. Overview of the project

There is no definition of an identity theft in the legal acts of Lithuania. This act, although existing in reality, has not been criminalised in Lithuania. Identity thefts are likely both in daily life (non-electronic space) and online.

Identity thefts imply the appropriation and theft of confidential information. Hence, it is very important to protect personal data and, first of all, take all preventive action to avoid ID theft. The scope of ID thefts is precisely unknown either in Lithuania or globally. According to the data of the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), almost 40 per cent of the

Project ‘ID Theft: Prevention through Education’

Between September 2013 and December 2015, Lithuanian Consumer Institute was implementing Project ‘ID Theft: Prevention through Education’, which has been co-financed by the Programme on Prevention and Fight against Crime of the European Commission.

In the course of the Project, the Lithuanian Consumer Institute implemented diverse activities, prepared educational materials and publications. The brochure provides a brief description of the most important project activities and publications.

Project website:http://www.vartotojai.lt/en/ID-theft

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10 000

10 000

3 000

15

138

19

610

Project objective is to equip consumers with knowledge about ID thefts in daily life and online in order to enable them to avoid ID thefts and know where to report them, as well as develop a responsible attitude to the management of their personal data.

Target groups of the Project: youth (schoolchildren, students), adults (teachers, senior population in the regions with little use of the internet), organisations and institutions involved in the processing of personal data, private sector representatives who can contribute to the prevention of ID thefts.

2. Innovativeness and Achievements

Identity Theft Awareness Days in schoolsschoolchildren

There have not been any projects on the issue of identity thefts implemented in Lithuania so far. This topic is new and the issue covered is difficult to grasp – it is even more difficult to make others aware of it. Hence, the Lithuanian Consumer Institute has undertaken uncommon, innovative activities to make the Project as successful as possible.

The Lithuanian Consumer Institute is convinced that the Project is significant for fuelling discussions on ID thefts not only in Lithuania, but also across other EU countries.

Identity Theft Awareness Days in universitiesstudents

Campaigns in shopping centrespersons

Animated comic seriescomic series

Competition of postersposters

Competition of detective storiesdetective stories

CDs for Lithuanian schools and education centresinformations CDs

15 % of the Lithuanian populationare often unaware of the meaning of personal data.

3. ActivitiesLithuanian public opinion survey (sociological survey)

In April 2014, a representative Lithuanian population survey (sociological survey) was carried out as commissioned by the Lithuanian Consumer Institute (hereinafter – the Survey). The Survey aimed at finding out the opinion and experience of the public in relation to personal data thefts online and in the non-electronic space as well as on the issue of using stolen personal data for criminal purposes. 1005 respondents between 18 and 75 years of age from various regions of Lithuania (in 65 sample locations) have been surveyed during the survey.

The survey results show that even 15 per cent of the Lithuanian popula-tion are often unaware of the meaning of personal data. Moreover, even 49 per cent of the respondents do not know what an identity theft means (consider-ing the probability of statistical bias, this figure is likely to amount even 54 per cent): 40 per cent responded that an identity theft is introducing oneself by a fake name and surname (i.e. using the data of a non-existent person) and 9 per cent did not know in general what it means. The results obtained show that the awareness of the Lithuanian popu-lation about ID thefts is inadequate and that there is a shortage of information for effective safeguards from ID thefts.

Furthermore, the population survey confirms that almost one fifth of the population has been personally exposed to ID thefts in Lithuania: 2.5 per cent of the respondents noted they had personally encountered an ID theft and 16.4 per cent indicated that ID thefts had been encountered by their family members or friends.

Project activities: Lithuanian public opinion survey, press conference, articles in the regional media, press releases, virtual information centre, online scam test, competition of posters, competition of detective stories, animated comic series, identity theft awareness days in schools and universities, round table discussion, project website, campaigns in shopping centres.


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Virtual information centre

This information centre provides information how to identify identity thefts in daily life and in the cyberspace; advice is given how to avoid ID thefts and whom to contact in one or another specific case, including answers to frequently asked questions and a brief overview of the legal aspects of identity theft in Lithuania.

The campaign participants received student-tailored organisers with exam-ples about the most important informa-tion about ID theft threats in daily life and in the electronic space, descriptions of the importance of personal data protection and information whom to contact in case of an ID theft.

Identity Theft Awareness Days in schools and universities

The Lithuanian Consumer Institute sought by these events to make school-children and students aware of ID theft threats, in particular, emphasising the risks encountered on the cyber space and methods to protect against them.

Consumer awareness is key in order to avoid crimes involving an unlawful use of personal data of others. Officers of prevention units of the police were also involved in some of the campaigns.

Project website

Project website details information about the activities implemented during the project, its publications (the slides may be downloaded free of charge to your computers) and other information, for example, you there may get access to the presentations on personal data protection and privacy as well as on identity theft and other issues discussed at the conference-round table discussion ‘ID Thefts – Issues, Legal Regulation, International Context’ that took place on 14 April 2015.


Campaigns in shopping centres

The purpose of preventive campaigns in shopping centres was to make the pub-lic aware about the threats ensuing from identity thefts and encourage them to protect their personal data better.

The campaign organisers distributed campaign calendars about ID thefts to shopping centre visitors, as well as explained what ID thefts mean, how to protect oneself and where to report them.

The campaigns in shopping centres were implemented in cooperation with police officers in Vilnius, Kaunas, Utena, Ukmergė, Šiauliai, Klaipėda, Panevėžys and Alytus. The police officers took the finger prints of the shopping centre visitors who wished to have them taken and also explained how to protect

personal identity data in a proper man-ner. This cooperation has been highly successful because it was not only an opportunity for visitors of the shopping centres to get their finger prints; police officers also could learn more about identity thefts, received the information, which has been prepared during the Project and which will be used during their presentations to schoolchildren.

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Competition of posters

The objective of the poster competition ‘Protect Your Identity!’ was to raise the awareness of young people about ID thefts, inform how to protect their rights and where to report problems, encourage them to take interest in the topic of ID thefts, perceive their impact on personal finance and the national economy, present the issue of personal identity theft through art, promote the creativity, individual style and critical thinking of young persons.

Online scam test

Try out the interactive online test ‘How to Make the Life of Sheep named Avinas Ragius Difficult?’ on the website of the Lithuanian Consumer Institute. The test has been created in order to present practical information about the preven-tion of identity thefts to your persons in an attractive manner. Young persons may take the test and see if they know how to handle their personal data.

The test presents a character, the animated sheep named Avinas Ragius, who encounters ten hypothetical situations where personal data are at risk. The person taking the test should choose the answers to make the life of animated sheep named Avinas Ragius as difficult as possible. At the end of the

test, the person finds out if he/she has been successful in choosing the options leading to the worst consequences. After the test has been completed, the person may look up correct answers.

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1st place winner poster “Be cautious in the Internet” Ieva Daščioraitė, student of Kaunas Juozo Grušo secondary art school.

Competition of detective stories

The purpose of the competition of detective stories ‘Watch Out: ID Theft’ was to encourage young persons to take an interest in the issue of ID thefts, understand their impact on personal finances and on the country's economics, develop the skills of creative writing on the topics relevant for the public. The competition also aimed at educating young persons on ID thefts, informing how to protect their rights and whom to contact in case of problems.

The following animated comic series are currently available for viewing:

• Little Red Riding Hood• Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves• The Snow Queen• Mirror Mirror• The Kitten And The Rooster• Snow White and the Seven

Dwarfs• The Wolf and the Seven Kids• The Crow and the Cheese• The Three Little Pigs• Winnie-the-Pooh• Eglė the Queen of Grass-

Snakes• The Emperor’s New Clothes• The Nutcracker• Alice• Third Brother the Fool

Animated comic series

Fifteen animated comic series are available on the project website. The animated comic series are interesting to various target groups, in particular, children and youth.

The comic series increase the awareness of young persons of various methods of identity theft through creative analogies. All comic series are joined together by the same character – the story teller. The plot of each animated comics is partly the same as the plot of a well-known tale. The story teller tells how an accident or misunderstanding in the tale is similar to a specific method of identity theft and warns the reader to watch out. In addition, the comic series teach a lesson and more careful treatment of personal data.


4. Publications

Project publications: presentation to teachers, notebooks for schoolchildren, notebooks for students, calendar with information about identity thefts, information brochure, newsletter of the project. Newsletters were released during the Project. They describe the Project achievements and provide relevant information about identity thefts. The Tear-off Calendar with brief information about ID thefts has also been published.

Presentation for teachers

Slides ‘Watch Out: ID Theft’ is a meth-odological aid prepared by the Lithua-nian Consumer Institute for teachers and other employees of education to be used during classes – available on the website of the Project of the Lithuanian Consumer Institute. The slides make use of specific examples to explain the con-cepts of personal data and identity theft, discuss the methods of identity theft in daily life and by modern technologies. The slides not only provide information material but also include practical tasks for schoolchildren to solve in order to uptake the main rules of responsible personal data handling and protect themselves against identity thefts. The slides have many illustrations and thorough additional notes for teachers.

The presentation is for three lessons:

Identity theft and personal data. Schoolchildren are informed about the concepts of personal data and identity theft, learn about negative consequences of identity theft.

Risks in real life. Schoolchildren learn about real-life situations where identity loss is at risk and negative consequences are likely: in stores, when wallets with docu-ments are lost and non-destroyed documents containing personal data are thrown away, etc. There is also advice how to avoid such risks.

Risk posed by modern tech-nologies. This lesson describes the situations where identity thefts are likely when using information technologies: the safety of pass-words, the use of WIFI, etc. Advice is provided how to protect one's identity in the virtual space.

Notebooks for schoolchildren

Notebooks for schoolchildren are designated to inform school-age young people about identity thefts, their consequences and provide them with preventive knowledge how to handle their personal data in a proper manner.

In order to capture the attention of your people and communicate information material attractively, a character has been created – animated sheep named Avinas Ragius. The publication tells ten different stories how the sheep loses its identity and faces negative conse-quences (e.g, releasing its e-banking codes to the telephone scammer who pretends to be a bank employee). Most stories stress the necessity for safe behaviour in the electronic space, firstly, in social networks and using e-mail as it is most relevant for young persons. Each story is followed by some advice how to prevent identity thefts.

The organiser explains personal data, includes interesting tasks, informs where to report in case of identity thefts.

Notebooks for students

The notebooks for students by the Lithuanian Consumer Institute are des-ignated to inform young people about identity theft risks, their consequences and provide them with knowledge how proper treatment of personal data can prevent this threat.

The publication describes in the lan-guage understandable to students how to protect oneself from identity thefts with a special focus on the safety of personal data when making payments for online purchases, communicat-ing in social networks, using e-mail. The organiser provides information with reference to analogies – compares why a certain practice acceptable in one case (to share likes, information, etc.) is utterly unacceptable in terms of personal data. Students get brief infor-mation about the concepts of personal data and identity theft as well as about the consequences suffered by victims of identity thefts. The organiser also includes various tasks, practical advice and other useful information.


In total 20 000 Notebooks for schoolchildren and students with information on ID theft were disseminated.

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Co-financed by the Programme on Prevention and Fight against Crime

of the European Commission