December 1, 2011 – Facebook’s privacy policies and tools have been a bit of a running joke and a regular topic of conversation among the privacy advocates that I know. The company has repeatedly changed its policies without notification to users and without seeking user permission. And those changes got the company in hot water with the FTC, which claimed that they violated the FTC Act by making false promises to consumers to keep their information private. This week, the FTC and Facebook settled their case. As a part of the settlement, Facebook is going to find the FTC looking over the company’s shoulder for the next 20 years.

Read article in the LA Times at:http://articles.latimes.com/2011/nov/29/business/la-fi-facebook-privacy-20111130

Facebook and Privacy and the FTC — LA Times originally appeared on The Identity Advocate on December 2, 2011.

Anyone can be a victim of identity theft. Unfortunately, since young people are less likely to monitor their credit and may make themselves especially vulnerable to identity thieves, students at all levels are a common victim of identity theft.

Whether your child is six years old and is just starting school, or is eighteen and going off to college, he can be a target and victim of identity theft for many reasons. By taking a few simple steps to safeguard his identity, you can help prevent your child from becoming the next victim of identity theft.

A Victim of Identity Theft in Elementary School
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. We recommend creating a Credit Calendar to make it easy and free to monitor his credit and be alerted of any suspicious activity all year round.

Here’s how a Credit Calendar works to help prevent your child from being a victim of identity theft: There are three credit bureaus, Equifax, Experian, and Transunion, and each bureau allows you to order your child’s credit report for free once every year. Use your child’s 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.

Begin protecting your child from being a victim of identity theft by creating his Credit Calendar today. Here’s the contact information for the three credit bureaus:
• Equifax: 800.685.1111 and www.equifax.com
• Experian: 888.397.3742 and www.experian.com
• Transunion: 800.680.7289 and www.transunion.com

A Clear Sign 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 offers 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. Indeed, vigilance is vital to protecting your child from being a victim of identity theft.

A Victim of Identity Theft in College
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. There are many actions your college age child can take to prevent identity 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 identity 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 identity theft.

Need help and more information to learn how you can protect your child from becoming a victim of identity theft? Contact The Identity Advocate today at 310.831.4400 or email info@theidentityadvocate.com. Visit www.theidentityadvocate.com.

Be Vigilant! Don’t let Your Children Become Victims of Identity Theft originally appeared on The Identity Advocate on August 24, 2011.

How to Spot Job Identity Theft Scams
How can you be sure job postings are legitimate and not job identity theft scams? Ask yourself these questions before you apply:

• Does the company have a Web site?: If not, or if the information doesn’t match the company’s description on the jobsite, you should be extremely cautious. Although not all companies have Web sites, most do, and you can get a feeling for the company by visiting the site. Does it look professional? Does it have contact information? Another simple research tool is simply to use Google to see what search results reveal for the company (if they exist!)
• Does the company ask for money to submit an application?: If you’re asked to pay anything before you can get information on the job, it’s probably one of the many job identity theft scams. This is especially prevalent in work-at-home jobs. Just remember that legitimate employers will never charge to hire you.
• Does the company have references?: They work both ways. If you’re unsure whether an employer is legitimate, ask for references. Most companies will be happy to provide you with them.
• Does the company make financial promises?: This is another favorite tactic of job identity theft scams. If a job listing guarantees financial success in a short period of time, you can bet they’re trying to drain your bank account in a short period of time.

Another easy way to spot job identity theft scams is to contact the Better Business Bureau to see whether the company has a high or low rating, and whether any suspicious activity has been reported.

How to Avoid Job Identity Theft Scams
Job identity theft scams are rampant online, so you have to be vigilant. Use common sense and follow these tips to prevent your identity from being stolen by unscrupulous identity thieves posing as employers:

• Social Security number: A common job identity theft scam is asking you to provide your Social Security number before you’ve even had a face-to-face interview. Don’t fall for it. A scammer will ask for your SSN under the guise of needing to perform a background check, but a legitimate employer can’t legally do a background check until after the interview.
• Financial information: Never provide any financial information, such as your bank account, until you’ve been hired. These types of job identity theft scams are made under the pretenses that the employer needs your financial information to perform a credit check. Not true. A legitimate employer can do a credit check with just your name, address, and Social Security number.
• Online forms: Be very careful when completing forms for online job applications. These forms make capturing sensitive information easy for job identity theft scams. If you’re completing an application online, make sure the Web site is both legitimate and secure before providing personal information such as your Social Security number or driver’s license number.
• Email: When communicating with an employer, always ensure the emails originate from the company’s email address, not a personal address. Legitimate companies will always send official communications through their company email address. Many job identity theft scams involve identity thieves using personal email addresses to impersonate representatives from a legitimate employer.

Want to learn more about preventing ID theft and avoiding job identity theft scams?
Contact The Identity Advocate at 310.831.4400 or via email at info@theidentityadvocate.com.

Don’t be a Victim of Job Identity Theft Scams originally appeared on The Identity Advocate on June 7, 2011.

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

FBI Press Release: A Chilling Case of ‘Sextortion’ originally appeared on The Identity Advocate on November 2, 2010.

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

11 Sercurity Threats to Consider and Prevent Identity Theft! originally appeared on The Identity Advocate on January 26, 2010.

Facebook, who is your friend — really? originally appeared on The Identity Advocate on December 16, 2009.