New Trend In ID Theft Targets Children

(NewsUSA) - Millions of American's are all too familiar with how vulnerable their personal information is because it has either been lost or stolen. However, adults are not the only victims.

In a disturbing new twist, identity thieves are now targeting children as well.

According to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), identity theft has been the fastest-growing crime in America for the last seven years.

In fact, the FTC recently reported that cases of ID theft for people under 18 rose to almost 11,000 in 2006 from just over 6,500 in 2003. But experts say these numbers are skewed and may be significantly higher because they only represent formal complaints -; not those that go unreported. Often, a child victim won't know that their identity has been stolen until they apply for a credit card or driver's license, get their first job or apply for an apartment lease.

"Everyone who has a social security number needs to take the necessary steps to make their personal information useless to anyone but them," said Todd Davis, CEO of LifeLock, an Arizona-based theft-protection company.

The following list of do's and don'ts can help parents protect their children's future as well as their identity:

* Don't ignore junk mail. If your child suddenly begins receiving credit card applications or other solicitations with their name on it, it's a red flag.

* Don't place magazine subscriptions under your child's name. While it's nice for a child to receive mail with their name on it, putting a subscription in your child's name opens the floodgates to mass-marketing mailing lists.

* Do monitor your children's online activities. Many sites ask for things such as last names and addresses. By divulging this information, a child opens the door for identity thieves.

* Do consider hiring help. For $2.50 a month for a child 15 and under, LifeLock will protect their personal information and back it with a $1 million guarantee. LifeLock requests clients' names be removed from credit card lists and junk mail, one of the most common ways that thieves hijack identities. Additionally, the company asks the credit bureaus to set up fraud alerts, requests credit reports and, should it be necessary, will contact each credit card, bank or document-issuing company to cancel any affected accounts and take all steps necessary to replace lost documents.

For more information on protecting your children's identity, visit www.LifeLock.com.

"Article By: NewsUSA"