Latest U.S. Terror Threat – Poisoning Food at Hotels and Restaurants – CBS News originally appeared on The Identity Advocate on December 21, 2010.

Holiday Nativity – Digital Style – from youtube originally appeared on The Identity Advocate on December 21, 2010.

AAPPO Conference ~ Linda Vincent of The Identity Advocate presenting originally appeared on The Identity Advocate on August 27, 2010.

1. Think first before you post. Guide children to share only the information that they wouldn’t mind sharing with strangers and their friends. Make them aware of identity theft – in their language – so they think before sharing nuggets of information that might be useful to an i.d. thief. By the way, how many of us post things about our kids, and family online? Before you go announcing your sister’s new baby on your social networking site, in email, on a blog, etc. consider the information you might be making available for thief. (Remember: place of birth and date of birth is all they need to become a new person.)

2. Don’t use your children’s real names. Wherever possible, enforce the use of code or nick names instead of a child’s real name online, whether for establishing an email address, registering on a kid-friendly website (to use the games, for example), or for setting up a profile on a social networking site.

3. Use privacy settings. For social networking fanatics, make sure only the people you know and trust can see what you’re posting and doing.

4. Use reputable, up-to-date security software. While identity theft can happen through offline sources as well as online, having good, updated security software will help prevent information-stealing software from getting onto your computers or smart phones in the first place. Use security software on any device that you store personal information on.

5. Shred and lock. The ITRC recommends that you shred all documents that contain personal information (whether about yourself or your children) and lock your mailbox if you can.

If you are resident of the U.S. and believe you or your child has become a victim of identity theft, contact the Identity Theft Resource Center for free assistance at:

(888) 400-5530

You can also find additional resources and prevention tips at www.idtheftcenter.org

Chrildren and Identity Theft originally appeared on The Identity Advocate on May 12, 2010.

Posting information on Social Networks originally appeared on The Identity Advocate on May 6, 2010.

Annual Credit Report Request Service originally appeared on The Identity Advocate on January 29, 2010.

Parmacies, Medical Identity Theft and you originally appeared on The Identity Advocate on January 7, 2010.

Children and Identity Theft originally appeared on The Identity Advocate on December 28, 2009.

There are many actions you can take to reduce the risk of your child becoming a victim of identity theft. The first thing you need to do is setup a system for keeping tabs on your child’s credit. There are three credit bureaus, Equifax, Experian, and Transunion, and each bureau allows you to order your child’s credit report every year. Use a Credit Calendar to record when you can order your child’s credit report from each agency. You’ll request a report from one of the three credit bureaus every four months, on a rotating schedule, to ensure there is no lapse in his credit monitoring each year.

• Equifax: 800.685.1111 and Equifax.com
• Experian: 888.397.3742 and Experian.com
• Transunion: 800.680.7289 and Transunion.com

Child Credit Card Offers: Clear Signs Your Child Is the Victim of Identity Theft:
Your mail carrier may be the one to deliver the news that your child has become a victim of identity theft. If your child begins to receive credit card applications in the mail, it’s very likely that he is a victim of identity theft. A typical scenario is that someone steals a child’s Social Security Number, creates a new identity, and uses that new identity to obtain credit. Of course, this can destroy your child’s credit, not to mention his good name, before he’s even old enough to actually use his own credit!

So, what’s the identity of that “someone” who stole your child’s personal information and made him an unwitting victim of identity theft? Studies show that the most common child identity thief is a close relative, including a parent or childcare provider. Indeed, vigilance is vital to protecting your child from being a victim of ID theft.

A Growing Threat: College Students Are a Leading Target and Victim of Identity Theft:
By the time he’s ready for college, your child may be smarter but, unfortunately, being smart doesn’t necessarily correlate to avoiding becoming the victim of identity theft. According to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the fastest and largest growing group most susceptible to being a victim of ID theft is people between the ages of 18 and 29.

A college student often becomes a victim of ID theft because he makes personal information available to other students, including his Social Security number, address, credit card numbers, and bank account numbers. This information can be accessed in a number of ways, such as buying products on insecure Internet sites, leaving credit card offers in plain sight in the dorm, and not properly protecting student loan information.

Act Now to Help Your College-Age Child Avoid Being the Victim of Identity Theft!

There are many actions your college age child can take to prevent ID theft:

• If he hasn’t done so already, it’s time to create that Credit Calendar to regularly keep track of his credit with the three credit bureaus
• Shred every credit card application that arrives in the mail
• Be careful when obtaining school-branded credit cards, which often contain such incentives as free gift cards, tee-shirts, and pizza when he applies

In addition to the damage inflicted by identity thieves on your child’s credit, many employers also review credit reports of job candidates. As competition for the best jobs increases, you don’t want your child’s future to be jeopardized simply because you didn’t take the proper precautions to avoid becoming a victim of ID theft from the time he began his education to the time he began his career. Whether you have a young child just starting first grade or a teenager ready to start college, now is the time to take action to prevent him from being another victim of ID theft.

Remember, be diligent in protecting information on you and your children!

Risk of Identity Theft with your Children originally appeared on The Identity Advocate on December 22, 2009.

http://www.noradsanta.org/en/index.html

Merry Christmas and for the ‘kid’ in us, follow Santa originally appeared on The Identity Advocate on December 22, 2009.