Protect your kids from the risks associated with identity theft. Children often fall prey to identity fraud, and the numbers of young victims grows every year, according to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). There are several simple tips you can use to protect kids from identity theft.

Why Kids Are Targeted by Identity Thieves

Kids are easy targets for identity thieves. By law, children can’t apply for credit cards, loans or other lines of credit until they are 18. That gives identity thieves many opportunities to steal a child’s identity and use it freely to open lines of credit. In addition to random strangers stealing a child’s identity, unfortunately, unscrupulous family members also often target them.

Children Feel Effects of Identity Theft When They Venture Out in the World

Children who are identity theft victims feel the pain inflicted by the crime when they try to establish a credit history. Applying for a loan or a credit card, children and their families are often shocked to learn that their child has a poor credit history, even though they’ve never had a line of credit. A poor credit score can prevent kids from getting the jobs they want, obtaining credit cards, loans and more. Although justice is on their side, it can take years to clean up a lifetime of identity theft.

Protect Your Kids from Becoming a Victim of Identity Theft

Adults can protect kids from identity theft by taking a few safety precautions. Shredding paperwork from doctors and other entities that list a child’s Social Security number or date of birth can help protect children from identity fraud. Credit card and loan offers that arrive in the mail addressed to children should be addressed with the company sending the offer, so they know that they are sending items to minor children. Social Security cards and other personal information about children should be safely stored to avoid the risk of identity fraud.

Children Identity Fraud Repair: What to Do if the Worst Should Happen

If a child becomes a victim of identity fraud, there are a few things you can do to help them repair their credit history and regain their identity. Their Social Security number should be changed and a police report should be filed immediately. Credit card companies, lenders and collections agencies associated with the phony identity should be notified immediately about the identity theft.

Reduce the risk of identity theft with credit monitoring . Credit monitoring provides an added layer of protection against identity fraud with up to date information about credit scores and details of unusual activities on a credit report.



By: Lisa Nichols

About the Author:

One significant thing that I can be proud about myself is none other than my identity. I was born unique from all other people. I was given name by my proud parents, I struggle hard for my bank accounts, Ill be expecting a lot of benefits with my $$$ when I arrive at my retirement age.

So, what do you think my life be like if someone steals all of my wealth, my identity? I will feel so disgusted. Identity theft is my greatest fear.”

I do not want to grow old and have nothing left for me. Let us all join together in fighting against identity theft because the thieves do not deserve a place in our society!

Did you hear the statement? US citizens demand the security of their identity. The main reason behind is the continuous existence of identity theft.

This crime is a grave threat to the personal information and property of the citizens. They want all possible actions to combat this crime.

As much as possible, you should take every precaution to protect your identity. Once you have settled your identity, you can ensure that you will be out of risk from the identity thieves.

If only there was a way to trace the origin or the person who discovered the tricks of identity fraud, the entire population would surely condemn that person because of the suffering it has brought them.

From an individual to a group of persons who promoted identity theft, the idea was later handed to other people.

Starting on that point, identity theft fraud spread out. Until now, the Bureau of Investigation finds it quite a difficult problem to eradicate.

The thieves use several unpredictable strategies to operate this crime. This makes it hard for the investigators to identify the thieves.

Aside from personal business transactions, identity theft fraud is also flourishing on the web. You need to be meticulous about the websites that are usually selling highly demand items.

Most of the items such as the iPods and the high-tech cellular phones are sold at minimal prices. Sometimes, the site also bargains the product for almost free to the subscribers.

What kind of operation does the identity theft fraud carry on over the Web? Be careful and read the page properly so that you will not be the next victim of the fraud.

Oftentimes, majority of the previous victims are advised to pay nothing until they receive the item that they are going to purchase.

Then, the person who is behind the scam will use the name of the victim and an account number of another person to pay for the original price of the item to the legitimate website.

In other words, the moment that the customer pays for the item, the money will directly go to scammer. The scammer can now present to you a valid receipt coming from the legitimate website who receives the actual payment from the account of another person.

On the other hand, there is also identity theft fraud that occurs using your e-mail. Listen, this is being addressed to those end-users who dedicate much of their time in surfing the Net.

Somebody who claims to be from your credit company can send you a message in various forms. The scammer will ask to give all the personal data regarding your account as they site you different reasons.

One reason they may give is they need the information about your account because their database may crash anytime. The scammer can also reason out that you need to do this to protect your account.

After you are convinced to give all your personal information, the scammer now has the power to do you some great damage. He can use this information for fraudulent transactions. He can also make withdrawals from your account with your seeming consent.

See. This is how identity theft fraud works. It can bring you so many problems, even more than what you think.



By: Lucas Heijn

About the Author:

This is the sixth in a series of articles which will increase your awareness about Identity Theft.



Its a typical weekend. You drove to your friends house, asked your

friend to hang out with you at the mall while having a shopping spree. The two of you then met a group of your friends at the local bar to have a few drinks and some food while you all talked about what happened during the past week. Before you left the bar you paid the bill with your credit card. After a great night you all went home and slept.



The next morning, you checked your mail which included your credit card billing statement. As you looked at it, you were shocked to see

that you had been charged on your credit card for things that you never purchased. You called the bank to advise them of the problem and asked them to remove the charges that you were disputing, from your account. The bank advised that they would look into the matter and get back to you when they had investigated the charges. At about this time you are getting upset, because you expected the bank to take your word for the disputed charges and clean up your account without delay, and you are wondering how these charges could possibly have ended up on your account.



If you have suffered through this kind of experience then you know that you may have been a victim of Identity Theft. This crime is called Identity Theft or identity fraud. Identity Theft is a crime perpetrated against you after someone obtains and uses your personal data, such as your name, credit card number, address, social security number, etc., without you knowing about it. In many cases, because you were using your credit card, the bank, after making enquiries, would probably have refunded the amount of the disputed charges, leaving them as the victim of the theft.



If you think that you have been a victim of Identity Theft you

should try to proceed as follows:



File a police report. Be sure to obtain a copy of the police report. You may need to show it to third parties to help substantiate your claim that you have been victimised.



Advise your local credit bureau, by phone and follow up with a written report. You only need to contact one credit reporting agency, as they will automatically pass on the information to other credit bureaus. Once you have filed your complaint you can request that any new credit enquiries be reported to you as they arise, so that you can provide input into the response that the credit bureau needs to provide.



If someone is using counterfeit checks drawn on your account, then also file a report with any local check verification companies.



Identity Theft is a very serious crime. If you ever suspect that you

are a victim of Identity Theft, it would be prudent to immediately report the crime to all authorities concerned.



Attempting to have your credit history restored to its previous level of respectability, after suffering from Identity Theft can be a very time consuming, expensive, and difficult task.



John Ritchie,

Copyright to this article belongs to John Ritchie. http://www.johnritchieonline.com

For more detailed information on Identity Theft, and to sign up for our 5 part e-course, go to http://www.identitytheftpreventionplan.com.

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By: John Ritchie

About the Author:

Kristin D asked:


We are moving and my car was broken into. They stole my wallet, which had my sons’ social security cards, and my old one with my maiden name and my new one. They also ended up with my routing and account number, but I closed the account. They had my ID too, but that was mailed back to me from across the state. I am afraid they will open accounts in my sons’ names, since they have all the information needed. How do I file a identity theft/fraud alert for free?