Prevent your identity from being stolen

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An explanation about identity theft and what someone should do if their online account is hacked.

The presenter talks about use of the 'report' function, and the importance of telling family and friends if something feels wrong.

Video: 2 mins 25 secs

(from the set out by the UK Council for Internet Safety)

‘I can explain how identity online can be copied, modified, or altered’
‘I can demonstrate how to make responsible choices about having an online identity, depending on context’

Identity: a set of qualities that make a person who they are
Theft: the act of taking something without permission
Fake: not real
Profile: your user account that is displayed to other people, like your friends. Your profile can be built up with content, images, or other pieces of information about you (data)

After the video:

Check pupils’ understanding of the key vocabulary – identity, theft, fake, profile
In pairs, write simple one sentence ‘dictionary’ definitions of key vocabulary – share with class, and decide on the best version
Talk with a partner about what they think identity means - create a mind map with identity at the centre
Talk about theft and stealing – collect together different definitions and real-world scenarios – property, money, plagiarism etc
In small groups - make a list of all the aspects of your online identity that could be stolen – put them in order of importance
After watching the video, ask pupils to make a list of the different ways Scola suggests to help avoid identity theft – pool the outcomes to create a class list of suggested strategies

Why would someone want to steal someone else’s identity? To pretend to be famous and feel popular? To damage someone’s reputation by making it look like they are saying horrible things on their account? Because they think it will be a funny prank?
Can you empathise with someone who does this? Do they feel insecure? Are they angry with someone? Are they just behaving badly?
How would it feel to have YOUR identity stolen? Worried about the consequences? Scared that no-one will believe you? Angry?
How do you think someone feels when they are using a fake identity? Scared of being found out? Powerful?
What should you do if you think your own identity has been stolen? Report it? Tell an adult? Tell your friends?
What can/should you do if you think a celebrity account has been faked? Is it your responsibility to do anything? Does it matter?

Create an Acrostic Poem or poster using IDENTITY and/or THEFT as the starting letters for each line
Write an email from a fan reporting a fake identity profile for a celebrity – explaining why they think the profile is fake
Make a folding mini-leaflet with top tips for dealing with identity theft – report, get friends to report, tell an adult, etc.
Make a list of things to say to a friend who has told you they are thinking of setting up a fake identity online.

Write a script for a role play about identity theft
Create a superhero character (eg ‘Captain Identity’) and create cartoons with speech bubbles giving advice on how to avoid identity theft
Find out how much of your personal online identity COULD be stolen – and explore ways of making your online presence safer
Make a top-tips poster for avoiding and reporting identity theft.