Parents: Have time to Worry About Identity Theft and Your Kids?
I like to think that I’m smarter than a lot of my friends when it comes to knowing where my family and I are vulnerable when it comes to identity theft. I’ve even taught my three-year old little boy how important it is to shred – we’ve made a game out of it.
As a representative of LifeLock, I’ve spoken with many parents about what red flags to look for as it relates to their children and the potential misuse of their identities. Red flag #1: be on the lookout for pre-approved credit card offers and catalogs that may come in the mail addressed to your children, this is a sign that they may have a credit report. So, you can imagine my surprise when one Saturday my son received an LL Bean catalog in the mail!
Because my family all subscribe to LifeLock, my first call was to LifeLock to have them look into this further to see if my son may in fact be a victim of identity theft. Very quickly it was reported back to me that he does not in fact have a credit report - phew, what a relief! The next step was to request a work history with the Social Security Administration to see if anyone may be using his information illegally to gain employment. My fingers are crossed that this comes back negative as well. LifeLock has also worked to scrub his name from the direct mail lists to reduce any further “junk mail” he may get.
As it stands right now, the chances are very slim that he’s been a victim of identity theft but it’s a relief to know that LifeLock is one phone call away and will work to take the steps to confirm that he is indeed safe and that I have nothing to worry about.
Zach Friesen on October 17th, 2008 at 9:35 am
With the incredible increased risk of identity theft to children over the last couple of years, I am glad to see parents taking action early to protect their own kids. As a child victim I remember the mix of emotions surrounding my mother and myself when we found out about the theft. I remember feeling my own guilt not just about being the victim, but for having made my mother so upset. I know now and even a bit at the time that it was a completely irrational feeling of guilt, but I felt it all the same.
Part of what has helped me get past that has been helping other parents to be proactive like Tami. Letting every family I can know that they have not only all the tools they need to keep their kids safe but that there are people who can help as well at LifeLock. A lot of parents now a days both have jobs and then the kids have sports or practice and it becomes difficult to find even a couple of free hours a week let alone enough time to check on their children’s identities. For example, my parents were divorced when we found out about my identity theft, and so my mom had to find time in between work and running the house. However, the theft itself actually happened before they separated when my dad was working and my mom had just gone back to school to get her law degree. From the time the crime happened all the way to the time we found out about it my family was busy trying to work hard and make a better life for my sisters and me. Like I said before I’m just glad parents now have options and someone to turn to for help when it comes to keeping the family safe. Thanks LifeLock!