8 tips to protect your children from identity theft

Posted by Joe on February 24th, 2008

Thanks for visiting the NextAdvisor Daily blog. You may want to subscribe to our RSS feed.

While most people understand the significant threat that identity theft poses to adults in the United States many are surprised to find out that the fastest growing segment of identity theft victims are children.

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) estimates that about 5% of all identity theft victims in 2005 were under the age of 18. This may not seem like a large number at first glance, but when you consider that there were an estimated 255,000 identity theft victims in the US that year and that the number of children victimized was up 40% from just two years older it is easy to see that this is a segment that is growing at an alarming rate.

We here at NextAdvisor.com were certainly shocked at these statistics and decided that the best way we could help is by accumulating a series of simple, actionable tips that parents could use to protect their children from becoming victims of this debilitating crime. Starting today our “Child Identity Theft Protection Guide” is available for free on our website.
In addition to compiling a series of do-it-yourself steps that parents can take to prevent identity theft we have also spent many hours reviewing various identity theft protection services. In particular, we found that LifeLock had the best overall identity theft protection for kids. LifeLock has taken their industry leading identity theft protection service and tailored it for the needs of protecting children’s identities.

Ultimately, whether parents decide to follow the eight tips we have laid out or use a service like LifeLock, the most important thing is that awareness of the growing threat that identity theft poses to children. We sincerely hope that consumers find this information helpful and that people take a moment to share our “Child Identity Theft Protection Guide” with every parent they know.

If you have any questions or feedback, or if you have additional identity theft prevention tips or resources that we should include in our guide, please let us know by leaving us a message in the comments below.

• Child identity theft protection guide featured on About.com Fatherhood blog
• Identity theft finds a new target - your kids!
• Experian says 55% of child identity thefts perpetrated by family members
• Facebook Identity Theft Protection Guide: 6 tips to protect your identity on Facebook
• Reader Question: Does signing up for LifeLock cover my spouse?