A:  Lifelock does help protect your bank account from fraudulent use (and a whole lot more – see our Lifelock review for details). The basic Lifelock service will monitor the Internet black market for fraudulent usage of your bank account number and alert you if it occurs.You'll be prompted to enter your personal information during enrollment, so make sure to add your bank account numbers if you want to monitor for them.

Their enhanced Lifelock Ultimate service includes Internet black market monitoring, plus additional protection for your bank accounts. Lifelock Ultimate scans for changes to contact information on your existing checking and savings accounts, thus helping reduce account takeover by alerting you when your account holder information changes. It will also alert you if new checking or savings account are opened in your name.

We really like Lifelock (and Lifelock Ultimate) as an identity theft protection service. And right now Lifelock is offering NextAdvisor readers a free 30-day trial as well as 10% off, so it's a great time to try it out at no charge.

Rumors abound that Facebook is now making public contact lists from smartphones that use Facebook Mobile. Although Facebook denies that this is true, a longstanding feature that syncs contacts from your phone to your Facebook account has been discovered by many. This means that Facebook has probably stored every number in your phone on a server somewhere.

You can see the phone numbers of all your contacts, which means that they can probably see your phone number. Regardless of the method Facebook may have used to get your number, here's what you should do:

1. In your phone's Facebook app, tap the Friends icon in the main menu. Then in the upper-right of the screen, click Sync.

2. When you're on Facebook, click on Account at the top-right of the screen. Then click Edit Friends. On the left side of the screen, click on Contacts. You'll see this text on the right: "If you would like to remove your mobile contacts from Facebook, you need to disable the feature on your mobile phone and visit this page." Click to go there, and then click the Remove button.

3. Double-check the privacy settings on your Facebook account to make sure that only the right people are seeing your number. We recommend deleting it completely.

For those worried about protecting their privacy, we recommend identity theft protection. Companies such as Identity Guard, Trusted ID, and LifeLock monitor your credit score and other records and alert you of fraudulent activity. Plus, NextAdvisor offers you a discount!

We couldn't let this news pass by without commenting. This woman has 152 Facebook friends, and she took video showing her getting a sleeve tattoo of profile picture thumbnails of every single one. Although it turned out to be nothing more than an advertising stunt, such a tattoo could raise some serious questions. She claimed to have gotten the permission of all of her friends, but could having your face on somebody's body put your identity at risk?

We say probably not, in this case. The images are pretty small, and no names are given. The biggest problem anyone might have with this tattoo is its lack of clarity!

Another great tip learned from Rep. Weiner: Never take compromising photos of yourself, and definitely never send them to anyone!

So it turns out that Representative Anthony Weiner's (D-New York) Twitter photo scandal wasn't a hack after all. But let it still be a reminder to keep your confidential information safe with identity theft protection services and to change your password!

Eleven percent of identity theft crimes occur online.

Let's face it: Almost everyone's on Facebook, and if you're not, chances are you'll succumb to social pressure to sign up eventually. It's a great way to connect with friends and family all over the world and easily share your experiences with others. However, it's not a good idea to go sharing personal information willy-nilly.

Facebook has made a number of updates to privacy settings since we wrote this popular post in 2008. So here we've collected an updated list of six ways to manage your privacy on Facebook and keep your personal information safe:

1. Limit the amount of personal information available on your profile.

A poll of Facebook users commissioned by NextAdvisor.com found that 27% of respondents listed their full name, date of birth, phone number, and email address on their Facebook profile. An additional 8% of respondents included all of that information plus their physical address on their profile. Many Facebook users also list other personal data, such as their spouse or significant other's name or birthday. In the hands of identity thieves, that type of information can be dangerous.

For example, an identity thief may be able to use your home address and phone number to submit a change of address form with the United States Postal Service and have your mail forwarded. This would allow access to even more sensitive information in order to open financial or other accounts in your name.

Savvy identity thieves can use contextual information in your profile to hack into online accounts. It can tip them off to potential user names and passwords you may use. Once an online account—whether an email, credit card, or other account—has been accessed, it can cause even further harm. It just gets easier for identity thieves: A recently released Android app can hack Facebook accounts if they are open on the same wireless network! Our recommendation is to limit the amount of personal information that is available on your Facebook profile:

• Never list your full date of birth, phone number, or physical address on your Facebook profile. Your real friends and associates will likely already know this information, so including it on your profile will only increase your risk of being victimized.
• Limit the amount of contextual password clues on your profile pages. Identity thieves know that many people use their birthday, a spouse or significant other's name or birthday, an anniversary date, mother's maiden name, pet's name, or other personal information as passwords on their personal accounts. It is also a good idea to make sure your online passwords don't include these types of personal items.

2. Proactively manage your privacy settings.

There are many components to managing your Facebook privacy settings. But we've broken it down for you here:

Sharing

Facebook's main purpose is sharing. However, like many people, you might have certain things you only want to share with only your networks, your friends, or just a chosen few. Luckily, Facebook makes this easy. When you click "Privacy Settings" under your "Account" tab, you'll see a list of what you share and with whom you share it.

For each shared item, such as "My status, photos, and posts" and "Phone numbers and address," you can choose one of three basic user categories: "Everyone," "Friends of Friends," and "Friends Only." Remember that "Everyone" means pretty much everyone, sometimes including other sites. You'll see the privacy settings that Facebook recommends, but we prefer the conservative "Friends Only" setting on all of your profile information to safeguard your information.

At the bottom of this page is a "Customize settings" link, where you can fine-tune your settings. Perhaps you don't want anyone to be able to view "Places you check in to." So you'd select "Only Me" for that category. If you wish to let your friends know when you're out on the town but want to keep your coworkers out of it, you can choose to block that information only from certain users. If you don't want the world knowing when you're at, say, the doctor's office, we also recommend you uncheck the "Enable" box next to "Include me in 'People Here Now' after I check in." To make sure everything looks right, click "Preview my profile," where you can view your own profile as a member of the general public or as a specific Facebook user.

Connecting

Connecting is not controlled on the Privacy Settings page but on a separate screen you access by clicking "View settings" at the top of the "Choose Your Privacy Settings" screen. By default, your name, profile picture, gender, and networks are visible to everyone.

Set these limits to what you're comfortable with. You could set everything to "Friends only," but you'd cut down on the chances of old friends and co-workers finding you. Instead, set them based on how private you think that information is or should be. For example, never make your high school visible to "Everyone" if you've used "What's your high school mascot?" as a security question on another website. We do recommend setting stricter visibility limits on "See your friend list." Such information could help identity thieves to engage in a little social engineering or get information such as your mother's maiden name (if, you know, your mom is your friend).

We feel the same way with "See your current city or hometown" and "See your likes, activities, and other connections." This publicly viewable information can help phishers and other social hackers target attacks toward you.

Finally, you can also access "Preview my profile" from this page.

Apps and Websites

Go back to the main privacy page, scroll down to the "Apps and Websites" section at the bottom left, and click "Edit your settings for using apps, games and websites."

One of the most useful tools is at the top. "Apps you use" allows you to turn off all applications or remove unwanted or spammy applications. You'll probably be surprised just how many applications you've said "yes" to. If you find ones that look suspicious or you simply don't want anymore, click them to expand. You can then view the last time the app accessed your data or remove the application altogether.

But perhaps most important to your privacy is how your information is used by other sites and apps. Click "Edit settings" next to "Info accessible through your friends." It will bring up a pop-up window that you can use to control which of your information is available to applications, games and websites when your friends use them. We recommend that you uncheck these items.

Next, you can control who can see your game and app activity. This button functions much like the other buttons on the main privacy page.

If you're not wild about the websites you visit knowing a lot about you, edit your "Instant personalization" settings, and uncheck the box at the bottom. This prevents Facebook's select partner sites from accessing the information that you've set as visible to everyone.

Lastly, we recommend that you disable public search. This setting controls whether information you share with everyone shows up in searches on and off Facebook. If someone Googles you, do you want your Facebook profile to show up? If it's a childhood friend, perhaps, but if it's an identity thief, you might think otherwise. There's a small "See preview" link here, too, so you can see how your page would look to someone arriving at your profile from a search engine.

Block Lists

There are many reasons you might want to block a person or application from seeing your Facebook profile. So when you click "Edit your lists" at the bottom center of the main privacy page, you can enter names of your Facebook friends or email addresses of people who are not your friends and click "block user." This means that person cannot be your friend or interact with you on Facebook, except inside apps or games you both use.

You can also block invitations from this screen. Is a friend who lives across the continent spamming you with invites that you can't possibly accept, or does an otherwise nice pal keep inviting you to play FarmVille even though you've declined multiple times? Type the name into the fields to block only their invitations.

Finally, you can view your blocked applications from this page. Blocking an app means it can't contact you or use your information anymore. To block an app, though, you need to go to the app's Facebook page and click "Block app."

Additional Privacy Controls

Facebook gives you still more options for privacy control. Each time you post a status update, link, status update, photo, or video, click the lock icon below it to choose who can see it. Note that this overrides whatever you have set for "Posts by me" in the Privacy settings.

You also now have more control over your apps. By default, they can only see what you've made visible to everyone. If an app needs to access more to operate, they must ask you for permission (via a box that pops up when you add an app), and they are not allowed to ask for more than is necessary for them to work.

The final control is over tagged items. When you're tagged in a photo or video and you want to override the default setting you selected for tags on the privacy page, remove the tag, which will also keep it from showing up on your profile. Remember that this doesn't keep the owner of the photo or video from sharing the picture (sans your tag) with people who aren't your friends.

These are our best suggestions for using Facebook's privacy settings. CEO Mark Zuckerburg maintains that users can expect privacy from Facebook's advertisers. Facebook doesn't sell personal data to its advertisers, but some ads include a Like button, and some or pair a profile picture of a friend who "liked" the ad or company with it to make it more relevant to you. And when you see Facebook content on another website, that site doesn't receive any of your profile information.

Still, with all the data floating around out there and the potential for identity thieves to socially engineer themselves into our lives, consider an identity theft protection service.

3. Only accept friend requests from people you know.

According to another recent Facebook poll commissioned by NextAdvisor.com, 49% of respondents said that they accept some or all friend requests that they receive from people they don't know. What many Facebook users may not realize is that by accepting friend requests from people they don't know, they are potentially opening themselves up to identity theft or related crimes. As a general rule, we suggest that Facebook users only accept friend requests from people that they already know or whose identity they can verify through some other means. Here are some ways to safely add new friends on Facebook:

• When you receive a friend request from people you already know, verify that they are who they say they are by sending them an email or giving them a phone call. It is easy for someone to set up a phony profile under the name of someone you know and trust in order to extract additional information from you.
• If you don't recognize the person who is making the friend request, feel free to ask how he or she knows you by sending a Facebook message before accepting. If you get no answer or a suspicious one, you can investigate further or simply ignore this friend request.
• Some experts believe that social networks like Facebook may become the next target of sophisticated phishing scams designed to steal your online passwords or other personal information. If you receive a friend request or other information over email purporting to be from Facebook, log into your Facebook account directly rather than clicking on any links in the email to verify that the communication is actually coming from the Facebook system.

4. Limit the amount of check-ins and "time and place" data that you expose.

Facebook gives users many opportunities to broadcast their schedule and whereabouts to their friends. Whether it is a simple status update or detailed itinerary, criminals can use information about your current or upcoming whereabouts to victimize you in a number of ways.

For example, if you publicly announce an out-of-town vacation or plans to attend a certain event, criminals can use this information to determine when your home may be most susceptible to a burglary. This could open you up to any number of forms of identity theft or worse. Also exercise caution when you "check in" somewhere using Facebook Places. If you verify that you are at a faraway location, you could endure similar consequences.

In general, we strongly recommend that Facebook users not publish specifics about whereabouts and schedules.

5. Remember that even people you know can be identity thieves.

Unfortunately, several recent studies show that a significant number of identity theft victims know the person who victimized them.

Javelin Research found that a shocking 43% of identity theft crimes are perpetrated by people whom the victim knows, such as friends or family members. Additionally, the most common perpetrators of identity theft against children are the child's parent.

We strongly recommend that, even if you know and trust all of your Facebook friends, you still follow all these tips to prevent yourself from falling victim to identity theft.

6. Consider an identity theft protection service.

Identity theft, both online and in the real world, remains a growing threat to all Americans. We recommend that all consumers consider using a proactive identity theft protection service, such as Identity Guard or LifeLock, to protect their identity.

Each identity theft protection service is different, but most will do the following:

• Monitor your credit report and other personal information for fraudulent use.
• Provide you with identity theft insurance that will reimburse you on costs and expense you incur as a result of being victimized.
• Provide you with copies of your credit report.

You can learn more about the various benefits of identity theft protection services and about the specific services we review by visiting our identity theft protection service guide and comparison.

While social networks like Facebook can be fun and productive services, it is important for users to be aware of the risks that they pose. Taking proactive steps to protect your identity on Facebook will only improve the amount of enjoyment you can get out of the service.

We here at NextAdvisor like to harp on identity theft protection. Why? Because you need it. You never know when, for example, workers at your bank will leak confidential information about your accounts to scammers, resulting in more than $10 million in total losses, which is what happened recently at Bank of America.

Even if you entrust your entire financial life only to big-name companies, this event illustrates why you should take the extra step of getting identity theft protection for yourself and your family to combat fraud. We think that the best companies for ID theft prevention are Identity Guard Total Protection (for the most complete ID theft protection), TrustedID (for families), and LifeLock (for the best value). Click on those links to see our reviews of these services (you'll find even more here), and don't go another day vulnerable to identity theft!

Q. How often are babies' and children's identities stolen?

A. Good question. It might not seem worth it to check your child's credit reports, but according to the FTC, 400,000 children have their IDs stolen each year, 51 times more often than adults. Why? With clean credit histories, kids are easy targets, and many thefts go unnoticed for years, until the child—now an adult—applies for a credit card, loan, or mortgage. So if you want to keep your children's identities safe, consider our favorite identity theft protection services for families: TrustedID and LifeLock.

Q. Can I sign up for and pay annually for an identity theft protection membership service? I prefer to pay annually in lieu of monthly.

A. When you subscribe to a service such as identity theft protection, often it's more convenient or fiscally responsible to make one larger payment a year rather than a small one each month. Luckily, several of the services we review offer annual prepay options, and sometimes it even saves you more money:

TrustedID, $84.12 per year and up: This service monitors a number of different accounts for you and provides you with anti-spyware protection and one three-bureau credit report each year. We think it's the best value of the services out there, especially for families, because it offers a free 14-day trial and a 15% NextAdvisor discount.

LifeLock, $99 per year and up: This service gives you a free 30-day trial and monitors a wide variety of public records as well. NextAdvisor can offer it to you for 10% off. It's also a pretty strong value; it just doesn't have as many features as TrustedID.

Suze Orman's Identity Protector, $125.04 per year and up: Rounding out our annual prepay offers for identity theft protection services is Suze Orman's Identity Protector. When you sign up with Suze, you'll get three-bureau credit scores and reports. Plus this option bears the name of finance guru Suze Orman.

So whether an annual payment fits better into your budget or is less of a hassle, any of these three services could be great choices for you.

A: Our top rated Trusted ID IDEssentials monitors your credit reports at all 3 credit bureaus 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.  You'll receive same day alerts for any changes to your credit reports, including (but not limited to) new lines of credit being opened, inquiries into your credit reports, address changes and name changes.

Trusted ID also monitors the Internet black market and public records for the use of your Social Security number, credit cards, and bank accounts.  In addition, you'll get credit scores and reports from all 3 credit bureaus, medical record protection and anti-virus computer software.  Overall it's a extremely comprehensive package, and it's even a great deal.  Right now you can sign up for a free 14-day trial and discounted rate of $10.42 per month (paid annually).

Q. What information do I need to give for identity theft protection? How quickly can it be activated?

A. Most identity theft protection services, including top-rated Identity Guard Total Protection, Trusted ID, and LifeLock, require similar information: first and last name, full street address (with state and ZIP code), phone number, date of birth, Social Security number, and email address. If you haven't lived at your current address for at least the past six months, you will need to provide your previous address.

You will also need to give your credit card information; even though most companies offer a free trial, they need to start billing you after that trial period has passed unless you cancel the service.

Each service takes a different amount of time to kick in. For example, both Identity Guard Total Protection and Trusted ID begin as soon as you sign up, but others, such as Protect My ID, require more time for parts of the service — the credit monitoring can begin immediately, but the account protection depends on when you enter that information for the accounts and how long it takes to verify.

A: There are 2 possibilities here.  The first is that someone has stolen your identity and used it to take out loans.  Then when they didn't repay the loans, the bill collectors started calling you to collect the (fraudulently taken) money.  I'm hoping that you have investigated that possibility, and thoroughly checked all of your credit reports for fraud.  I understand that you're a member of LifeLock, but if the identity theft occurred prior to your membership start date there is the possibly you aren't aware of it.  If this is the case, take a look at our blog on what to do if you're a victim of identity theft.  If the identity theft occurred during your membership (which is highly unlikely), you should contact LifeLock directly for guidance on next steps.

The second possibility is that the bill collectors are pursuing someone else's debt, and are calling your phone number erroneously.  Getting them to stop may be hard, because they can be persistent.  You can always pick up the phone and let them know you're not the correct person.   While you're doing that, I would ask to speak to their supervisor and verify who they are actually trying to contact.  If they are calling for you, this is more likely a case of identity theft.

A quick solution to avoiding erroneous bill collection calls is to use caller ID to identify the callers.  That way you can determine who is calling prior to picking up the phone.  It works great when I want to avoid specific calls!

Regarding your credit scores, they will most likely be negatively affected if your identity was stolen.  If the bill collectors are just tracking down someone else's debt and happen to have your phone number by mistake, your credit scores won't be harmed.

A: All of the identity theft protection services reviewed on our site offer month-to-month commitments.  Two of them, Trusted ID and Lifelock, have both month-to-month and annual options.  If you choose their annual plan you'll receive a discounted monthly price.  But you can always forgo the discount and select a month to month plan.

We do recommend keeping identity theft protection longer than a month or two, because it's impossible to predict when a crime may occur.  If you want to try them out first, the majority of the companies on this site offer free trials of their identity theft protection service.  To find the right option for your needs, check out our comparison chart.

Q: I would like to get information on what protection is available for a person who identity is already stolen and is being attempted to be used. I was wondering about instant alerts any time my name or credit is trying to be used or credit being extended. Please contact me with this information at your earliest convenience. Thank you!

A: What you have described in your question is called a fraud alert, and it is definitely a good idea to set these alerts with the credit bureaus if you believe that your identity has been stolen. Once you set a fraud alert with one credit bureau, that bureau will notify the other two. Fraud alerts expire after 90 days, so you'll need to reset them if you want to continue to be protected. LifeLock, one of our top-reviewed identity theft protection services, can help walk you through the process of setting fraud alerts and send you reminders when they need to be reset.

You may also want to consider a credit freeze, which would lock down your credit report to prevent any new accounts from being opened in your name. The details of setting a credit freeze vary depending on your state, but you would have to pay a small fee of $10.00 or so to set the freeze, and again when you are ready to unfreeze your account. You would have to set the credit freeze with each bureau individually, and pay the fee three times. You can learn more about freezing your credit and setting fraud alerts at ConsumersUnion.org.

It is a good idea to invest in an identity theft protection service, since in addition to taking measures to prevent and detect identity theft, most of these services will also help you restore your identity if you do become a victim. To learn more about LifeLock and other identity theft protection services, see our reviews and comparison chart.

According to Shawn Henry, the assistant director of the FBI's cyber division, "More money is stolen electronically or [in] data breaches than through bank robberies." RBS customers have been reimbursed for the stolen funds, but a class action lawsuit is pending against RBS WorldPay, alleging that the company failed to adequately protect consumer data. RBS WorldPay has acknowledged that the breach impacted 1.5 million cardholders, and that 1.1 million Social Security numbers may have been compromised.

There's no way to ensure that your Social Security number or other sensitive personal data remain safe from these types of hackers. But identity theft protection services like TrustedID, LifeLock, and Identity Guard scan the Internet's black market websites to find out whether your information is being bought or sold. They'll also alert you if anyone attempts to create new accounts in your name. To learn more about TrustedID, LifeLock, Identity Guard, and other identity theft protection services, see our reviews and comparison chart.

"It's a tremendous honor for us," said LifeLock CEO Todd Davis. "We've seen phenomenal growth over the last few years, and I'm proud of my team to meet the challenges that come with the fast-changing dynamics. I'm also proud to be helping to build our community right here in Arizona."

LifeLock rapid growth makes sense, given that identity fraud continues to increase relentlessly, reaching a five year high last year after a 22% rise from the year before. As this crime becomes even more prevelent, the need for an identity theft protection service becomes even more apparent. And LifeLock has proven itself as an industry leader.

To learn more about LifeLock and other identity theft protection services, see our reviews and comparison chart.

The FTC reports that 5% of the 255,000 victims of identity theft in 2005, the most recent year in which data on the subject was available, were under the age of 18. The number of victims is up 40% from 3% in 2003. Most of these cases take place very early on with over half occurring prior to the age of 6 according to the Identity Theft Resource Center.

Awareness seems to be the biggest problem in helping to prevent child identity theft. A recent Experian-Gallup poll found that 68% of respondents had heard little or nothing about identity theft crimes against children. But, that doesn't mean that children aren't falling victim to identity thieves at a rapid rate. That same poll found that 7% of respondents knew a child that had been victimized by identity theft.

Identity theft perpetrated against children can be particularly debilitating because it is often years or decades after the crime occurs that the victim becomes aware. There are hundreds of stories of adults that attempt to apply for their first line of credit only to find that their identity had been stolen years earlier while they were underage and, as a result, their credit was destroyed before they even had a chance start practicing healthy credit habits.

We have compiled eight simple steps that parents or guardians can take to help ensure that their children don't fall victim to identity thieves.

1. Eliminate non-essential disclosure of your child's social security number
2. Monitor your child's postal mail
3. Limit the amount of personal information that is available about your child on the Internet
4. Contact each of the three major credit bureaus on your child's behalf every quarter
5. Contact the Social Security Administration on your child's behalf at least once per year
6. Involve your local authorities if you feel your child has been victimized
7. Consider a proactive identity theft solution provider for your entire family
8. Help curb child identity theft by sharing these tips with other parents

Eliminate non-essential disclosure of your child's social security number
A social security number is the single most dangerous piece of information in the hands of an identity thief. With your child's social security number an identity thief potentially has the ability to open lines of credit in your child's name.

You should only provide this information when it is absolutely necessary. Anytime anyone asks you to provide your child's social security number ask the following questions:

• Why is my child's social security number required?
• How will my child's social security number be used?
• Who will have access to my child's social security number?
• Where will my child's social security number be stored?

If the requestor is not able to provide you with sufficient answers to these questions then it is best to decline to provide this information.

It is also a good idea to store your child's social security card in a safe place such as a locked file cabinet, safe or safety deposit box. You should never let your child have direct access to their social security card as it is too easy for it to be misplaced and end up in the wrong hands.

Monitor your child's postal mail

If credit card offers, late payment notices or other suspicious financial items show up addressed to your underage child don't assume they are simply mistakes by the sender. Your minor child should never receive:

• Offers of credit from lenders of any kind including credit card companies, mortgage lenders or student loans.
• Bills, past due or collections notices for any type of financial or other type of account
• Social Security Administration account statements

If you do receive these types of communications, or any other suspicious looking mail, in your child's name follow up with the company or agency that sent them to determine the reason they were sent in the first place.

If there are unauthorized financial accounts (or any type of account that was not legitimately opened) in your child's name then it is likely your child has fallen victim to identity theft. Notify the company where the account is held as well as all three of the credit bureaus (see point #4 below) and your local police department (see point #6 below).
Limit the amount of personal information that is available about your child on the Internet

The Internet is a great tool to communicate with friends and family, but it is also a great source for identity thieves to mine personal information about your child. Never post any personal information about your child, such as date of birth or address, on any website (especially not any website that is publicly available or doesn't have password protection).

If your child is old enough to access the Internet on their own, make sure you monitor their usage as well. Many websites such as MySpace, Facebook and others make it very easy for children to post vast amounts of personal information about themselves.

Also, make sure you discuss the various dangers of openly communicating personal information to strangers on the Internet with your children. They are never too young to start practicing safe Internet usage.
Contact each of the three major credit bureaus on your child's behalf every quarter
None of the three major credit bureaus, which include Experian, Equifax and TransUnion, maintain credit files on anyone under the age of 18. If your underage child has a credit file with one of the bureaus that potentially means they have been victimized.

We recommend that parents request a credit report on behalf of their child from each of the three credit bureaus once per quarter.

Here are instructions on how to contact Experian, Equifax and TransUnion on your child's behalf:

Experian
Phone Number: (888) 397-3742
Website: http://www.experian.com
Address to send inquiries about child Identity Theft:
Experian
PO Box 9532
Allen , TX 75013

How to request a review of your child's credit file from Experian:

Parents are required to mail in documentation that prooves they are the legal guardian of the child. An example of sufficient documentation is a child's birth certificate and a copy of the parent's driver's license.

If no credit file exists for the child then Experian will send written notification by mail. This is good news because it means your child's identity has not been compromised.

If a credit file does exist then Experian will send a copy of the credit file to the parent. This means that it is likely your child's identity has been stolen. The parent may then dispute any fraudulent items on their child's credit file. Experian will also place a credit lock on the child's credit file so that no additional credit may be extended to them until they turn 18 years old.

Equifax
Phone Number: (800) 658-1111
Website: http://www.equifax.com
Address to send inquiries about child Identity Theft:
Equifax
P.O. Box 105069
Atlanta , GA 30348

How to request a review of your child's credit file from Equifax:

Parents are required to mail in documentation that prooves they are the legal guardian of the child. An example of sufficient documentation is a child's birth certificate and a copy of the parent's driver's license. If a record is found Equifax will erase any fraudulent accounts and remove the credit file from their system and flag the child's social security number as belonging to a minor. Equifax does not provide copies of the child's credit report to parents.

TransUnion
Phone Number: (800) 916-8800
Website: http://www.transunion.com
Address to send inquiries about child Identity Theft:
Trans Union PO Box 6790
Fullerton , CA 92834

How to request a review of your child's credit file from TransUnion:

TransUnion has set up a special email address for parents to use in order to request their child's credit report. Parents can send an email to childidtheft@transunion.com. TransUnion will then send back instructions on how to request a credit report. If a credit report does exist then TransUnion will lock the child's credit file until they turn 18 years old.

It is important to remember that contacting just one of the credit bureaus is not sufficient protection because many lenders only report to one or two of the credit bureaus. So, for example, if only Experian is contacted and a lender that has extended credit to an identity thief pretending to be your child only reports that credit to Equifax and TransUnion, you would not be alerted.

Keeping up with all three bureaus each quarter, or twelve total inquiries per year, can be a lot of work but it is extremely important. It can be overwhelming and that is why we strongly suggest that parents consider protecting their families with and identity protection service such as LifeLock, which does most of the work for you (see point #7 below).

Contact the Social Security Administration on your child's behalf at least once per year

The social security administration can be reached by phone at (800) 772-1213 and will be able to provide you with any records attached to your child's social security number.

Your minor child should not have any work history associated with their social security number. If they do, it is likely that someone is fraudulently using it to gain employment. If your child has a work permit and does have a valid work history, make sure the employers match up business where your child has been employed.

Keep in mind that it is possible for identity thieves to use your child's social security number without using their name. Since the Social Security administration uses a number and name matching system their check would not catch this type of identity theft.

Involve your local authorities if you feel your child has been victimized

If you believe that your child has become a victim of identity thieves then make sure to file a report with your local police department immediately. This report will help you and your child recover from the identity theft incident.

Without a police report it may be difficult to prove that some of the fraudulent charges were no perpetrated by a third party and you may, in the worst case scenario,

be held financially liable. Additionally, based off of the police report all three major credit bureaus will amend or erase the fraudulent information on your child's credit report.

If you don't know how to contact your local police department simply dial directory assistance and ask for the non emergency telephone number for the local police.

Consider a proactive identity theft solution provider for your entire family

Protecting your children from identity theft is an extremely important but time consuming job. It is possible to keep up with all the aspects of this important task, but we strongly recommend that most parents consider using an identity theft protection service to keep their child's identity safe and secure.

We have reviewed all of the major identity theft protection services and have found that only one, LifeLock, provides extensive identity theft protection for children.

LifeLock checks your child's credit file at each of the major credit bureaus and their account with the social security administration multiple times per year. If any fraudulent activity is detected LifeLock will place fraud alerts on your child's credit report and flag them as being associated with a minor child.

The service is extremely economical at less than $2.00 per month and will save you hours of work and research. It also gives you peace of mind that a professional organization that is focused on proactive identity theft protection, and well versed in its protection, is safeguarding your children.

In order to enroll your child in LifeLock one or more parents must also be a member of the service. We strongly recommend this service for all members of your family.

Help curb child identity theft by sharing these tips with other parents

Unfortunately, child identity theft will likely be a growing risk for years to come. As a parent you have the opportunity to not only help protect your own children from being victimized, but other children as well.

To that end, please help us curb the threat of child identity theft by telling every parent you know about this guide.

LifeLock CEO Todd davis stated that the company had been anticipating the possibility of this outcome and have invested in developing a new system call LifeLock Identity Alerts. According to Davis, this new system:

• Uses more sophisticated and scientific algorithms to spot identity fraud
• Mines more data sources than the credit bureaus. These additional sources include data from many retailers, banks, mortgage lenders, utilities, and auto lenders
• Examines patterns over time across this network to help predict future identity risks and the vulnerability of members

Davis did not give a specific date on which fraud alerts would stop being set, although he did say that the transition would happen over the next few weeks and that LifeLock members would not experience any interruption in the protection of their identities.

We have not been able to review the new features of LifeLock Identity Alerts in detail as of yet, but have included the full text of the email message sent by Davis below. We will provide more information once we have more details on the new tools and timeline for transition.

**Important Message from LifeLock**

Dear Valued Member,

LifeLock is pleased to announce we are beginning implementation of a new and innovative identity protection system that provides you even better and broader protection. This new system, which replaces fraud alerts, is better because it offers you the benefit of real-time protection in some instances, and broader because it identifies identity risks beyond the scope of fraud alerts.

As you may know, as a result of litigation with the credit bureau, Experian, a Court has ruled that LifeLock must soon end the practice of setting fraud alerts on behalf of consumers. The placement of a fraud alert on a member's profile is just one of the many tools LifeLock uses to protect our members from the growing threat of identity theft. We have been planning for the possibility of this ruling by developing even better ways to help protect you, and are excited about the broader protection we will roll out in the coming weeks.

The new LifeLock Identity Alerts will notify you by email, postal mail, and/or phone anytime we detect your personal information being used to apply for many forms of credit cards, wireless services, retail credit, utilities, check orders/reorders, mortgage loans, auto loans, and non-credit related payday loans. If the application is fraudulent, our remediation team will take action to help restore your good name.

This system uses very powerful, forward-looking models to help predict fraud and identity risks before fraud occurs. For example, the system:

* Uses more sophisticated and scientific algorithms to spot identity fraud;
* Mines more data sources than the credit bureaus. These additional sources include data from many retailers, banks, mortgage lenders, utilities, and auto lenders; and
* Examines patterns over time across this network to help predict future identity risks and the vulnerability of members.

While this transition takes place in the coming weeks, you will notice no interruption to the around-the-clock protection you depend on from LifeLock.

In addition to this new identity protection system, LifeLock will continue to provide you with the full suite of other personal protection services you have come to know and trust – including WalletLockTM, eReconTM, TrueAddressTM, and of course our $1 Million Total Service Guarantee. If you become a victim of identity theft while a member of LifeLock because of a failure in our service, we will help you fix it, up to $1 million. (Restrictions apply. See LifeLock.com for details)

At LifeLock, we never take your trust in us lightly, and consider it an honor to protect your good name. We are confident you will share our excitement about this improved level of service and the increased peace of mind and protection it will provide you and all our members. If you ever have questions about your membership or this enhancement to your service, please send us an email at member.services@lifelock.com or call us at 1-800-LIFELOCK (543-3562), option #2.

We thank you for your business and your continued trust in LifeLock.

Sincerely,

Todd Davis

Todd Davis
CEO

Most people are too smart to fall for a Nigerian 419 scam. But plenty of smart people fell for Bernie Madoff's investment scams. Madoff was far more subtle than your average scammer. But in this day and age, people ought to be more alert to potential scams than ever before. And yet this wolf in sheep's clothing was able to bilk so many investors. So it looks like we aren't as savvy as we should be.

The root of the problem is the sheer number of scams. There are investment seminars, smoke and mirror charities, phishing emails and even text messages. I got a "phext" (phishing text message) from "r.yahoo.com" that said, "changed secret question, log in to update, or text HELP or to end STOP." Naturally, this raised my suspicions, so I did an online search which led me to a forum discussion of this particular scam. Apparently, any response to this text message would have allowed hackers to access plenty of proprietary data.

A prominent security and privacy researcher emailed me to describe an attempted Craigslist scam:

"Robert, so, I registered on Craigslist and posted our above ground pool for sale. Within minutes got a reply from someone asking some basic questions (most of which could have been answered if they had read the advert). Their reply to my answers raised an immediate red flag. This individual claimed to be from Miami and was willing to write me a check for the full amount, plus shipping charges for their shipping company that would pick up the pool. In other words, I deposit a check (in context it seemed to be either a business or personal check, either way I would have had to wait for it to clear) and when it clears, I keep my asking price and give the difference to the shipping company when they arrive to pick up the pool.

I've ceased communication with this individual, but this just stinks to high heaven. First, if it is their own shipping company, why should I have to pay them? Second, no way I'm going to deposit this check into my account and risk having my bank info show up on their statement. Third, why would someone in Miami (above ground pools aren't all that popular down there, it seems to me) want to pay to have a used above ground pool shipped all the way from New England? Fourth, I'm just nervous about stuff like that anyway.

Ever heard of/encountered that kind of situation before?"

This is an advanced fee scam! Now, since I am obsessively screaming about this stuff all day, I can see this coming from a mile away, as did my friend. But those who are less tuned in to the variety of potential scams might easily fall victim to this type of crime.

Financial troubles are forcing people to seek out new opportunities. When we are searching for jobs or attempting to sell our belongings online, or simply spending more time using social networking sites, we become more susceptible to the latest scams. But the biggest danger is our own egos and our complacency, as we foolishly believe that we are all too smart to become victims.

According to The Wall Street Journal, many scam victims are pretty smart. Three recent studies showed that victims of investment fraud tend to be better educated and have higher incomes than nonvictims, and that most have been investing for a decade or more. Because they are so confident in their own judgment, they fail to seek out professional advice.

Years ago, the Better Business Bureau conducted a test in which they planted a man dressed in normal street clothes outside a store during the holiday season. They gave the man a plastic pumpkin and a bell to ring. He spent twenty minutes ringing the bell, and during that time, people kept dropping money into the pumpkin. When the people were questioned, most believed that they had just donated to the Salvation Army, simply because the man was ringing a bell. Like Pavlov's dogs, they opened their wallets.

Criminals aren't any smarter than we are, but they know how to capitalize on our stupidity. You need to take steps to protect your own identity, because while you are smart enough to inform yourself about these issues, you can't prevent some company from stupidly compromising your sensitive personal data. Prevent new account fraud by getting a credit freeze. Go to ConsumersUnion.org and follow the steps for your particular state. This is an absolutely necessary tool to secure your credit. In most cases, it prevents new accounts from being opened in your name. This makes your Social Security number useless to a potential identity thief. And invest in identity theft protection. Not all forms of identity theft protection can be prevented, but identity theft protection services can dramatically reduce your risk.

Robert Siciliano, identity theft speaker, discusses various scams on TBS's Movie and a Makeover.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aQpHdaC82Uk[/youtube]

Robert Siciliano is CEO of IDTheftSecurity.com , an identity theft expert, professional speaker, security analyst, published author and television news correspondent. Siciliano works with Fortune 1000 companies and startups as an advisor on product launches, branding, messaging, representation, SEO and media. Siciliano's thoughts and advice on all these matters appear often in both the televised and print news media including CNN, MSNBC, CNBC, FOX, Forbes and USA Today. He has 25 years of security training as a member of the American Society of Industrial Security. He is the author of two books, including The Safety Minute: Living on High Alert; How to take control of your personal security and prevent fraud. He's also partnered with Uni-Ball to help raise awareness about the growing threat of identity theft and to provide tips on how you can protect yourself.

Craigslist scammers aren't letting up. Fox News reports on scams that target online car buyers, in which crooks spend about a hundred dollars on a junk car, then steal a similar car and advertise it on Craigslist. They remove the vehicle identification number plate from the junk car and the ignition and put them in the stolen car. Buyers don't realize their new cars are stolen until the scammers are long gone.

In another Craigslist scam, a Massachussetts woman was horrified when a stranger alerted her to a Craigslist post offering her baby up for adoption. The advertisement read: "A CUTE BABY BOY FOR ADOPTION HE IS VERY HEALTHY AND READY FOR ADOPTION FOR MORE YOU COME BACK TO US," and featured a photo of the woman's seven month old son, which had been lifted from their family blog. (I've said before that you shouldn't reveal specifics when posting to blogs and social media sites. Don't post your address, date of birth, kids' names, pets' names, phone numbers, or any account numbers or financial information of any kind. You really shouldn't post children's photos online.) When the mother responded to the post, she was informed that the baby was Canadian but currently living in an African orphanage. The mother said that while her son wasn't being harmed, she felt he was violated. She alerted the FBI and the scammer has been removed from Craiglist as well as Yahoo.

I spoke with Jeffrey A. Kasky, Esq., renowned adoption expert from OneWorldAdoption.com. He said, "Families who hope to adopt a child are frequently medically unable to have children for themselves.  As such, they look at adoption opportunities from an emotional rather than a logical perspective, and are therefore more vulnerable to scams. What would tug at your heartstrings more than thinking that this beautiful little boy was stuck in an orphanage halfway around the world? All you have to do is wire us $300 now, then more and more and more, and he can be yours…"

These scammers are lower than that black smelly stuff in the sewer.

When we were young, our parents told us not to talk to strangers. Strangers are not yet part of our trusted circle. So don't trust them! There's no benefit to paranoia, but being a little guarded can prevent you from stumbling into a vulnerable situation.  Since predators use online classifieds to lure unsuspecting victims, you should find out as much as possible about strangers who contact you. Get a name, email address and phone number, and use Google, iSearch.com, or social networking sites to look for anything suspicious. If you find a red flag, use Intelius.com to investigate further.

Whenever possible, deal locally. People who cannot meet you in your town are more likely to be scammers. And even when you do meet in person, you should be wary. Never meet in private. Choose a public location surrounded by people. If possible, bring along a friend. Predators thrive on isolation, and by pairing up, you reduce your chances of being attacked. Be street smart, and dress accordingly. Don't wear expensive jewelry or provocative clothes. Scarves and loose clothing give attackers something to grab. Wear shoes that will allow you to run and kick if necessary.

Trust your gut and don't discount any troubling or negative feelings about the meeting. If something seems wrong, it probably is wrong. Don't be afraid to cancel. Unfortunately there is an inherent risk in meeting someone you don't know.  Being guarded can keep you from getting into a vulnerable situation. Let your spouse or a friend know where you are going and when you will be back. Use your cell phone to keep in touch throughout the meeting.

Robert Siciliano, identity theft speaker, discusses all kinds of scams on TBS's Movie and a Makeover.

Robert Siciliano is CEO of IDTheftSecurity.com , an identity theft expert, professional speaker, security analyst, published author and television news correspondent. Siciliano works with Fortune 1000 companies and startups as an advisor on product launches, branding, messaging, representation, SEO and media. Siciliano's thoughts and advice on all these matters appear often in both the televised and print news media including CNN, MSNBC, CNBC, FOX, Forbes and USA Today. He has 25 years of security training as a member of the American Society of Industrial Security. He is the author of two books, including The Safety Minute: Living on High Alert; How to take control of your personal security and prevent fraud. He's also partnered with Uni-Ball to help raise awareness about the growing threat of identity theft and to provide tips on how you can protect yourself.

Q: Each person is entitled to a free credit report from each of the 3 bureaus each year. If LifeLock requests the reports on a client's behalf, can the client also request a free report from each bureau directly in the same calendar?

A: You are entitled to a free credit report from each of the 3 credit bureaus per year. You can request these free credit reports at AnnualCreditReport.com, which is a central website sponsored by all 3 bureaus. When LifeLock requests credit reports on behalf of its clients, these reports do count toward your limit of one per bureau per year. However, when you purchase a credit report from one of the credit bureaus, or when you recieve free credit reports from credit monitoring services such as  CreditCheck Total, or other identity theft protection services such as Identity Guard, these are unrelated to your 3 free reports and do not count against that limit. If you purchase credit reports or recieve them from a credit monitoring service, you can still request 3 free reports per year from AnnualCreditReport.com.

To learn more about credit report and score services, see our reviews and comparison chart.

Q: I know that LifeLock protects your credit card, Social Security, driver's license, and address changes. But what about my bank accounts? I recently had someone steal money from my bank account.

A: LifeLock will alert you if an identity thief attempts to open any new bank accounts in your name. Unfortunately, since LifeLock relies on information from the three credit bureaus, it cannot prevent or detect what would appear to be normal activity in your existing bank accounts. LifeLock does offer a companion product, WalletLock, that would help you notify all the necessary parties in the event that your wallet, credit and debit cards, driver's license, Social Security card, insurance card or checkbook are lost or stolen.

If your debit card is lost or stolen and you report the loss to your bank within 2 business days, under federal law your liability is limited to $50.00 in losses. If you report the loss within 60 calendar days from the time your bank statement is mailed, your liability is limited to $500.00. If a thief steals your debit card number, rather than the actual card, federal protections are more generous. Many banks voluntarily offer zero-liability policies, as do Visa and MasterCard.

Another of the identity theft protection services we review, TrustedID, offers additional protection by scanning black market websites where identity thieves buy and sell stolen data. If you register your credit and bank account numbers with TrustedID, you'll be alerted immediately in the event that your account information is discovered on the Internet black market.

To learn more about LifeLock, TrustedID and other identity theft protection services, see our reviews and comparison chart.

The "LifeLock Celebrity Apprentice Sweepstakes" includes a number of great prizes for the winner including:

• 4 days/ 3 night trip to New York City
• Tickets to The Celebrity Apprentice Finale
• Passes to The Celebrity Apprentice After-party
• Personal introduction to Donald Trump
• $1000 Cash and more*

We recommend visiting the LifeLock website to learn more about the sweepstakes requirements and other rules.

NextAdvisor.com site visitors get an exclusive 30 day free trial and 10% discount on their LifeLock subscription. If you click through to the LifeLock site from any link on NextAdvisor.com then you will automatically receive this special deal. Other wise, simply input the discount promo code NEXT when prompted on the registration screen. You can also call 1-800-543-3562 and mention promo code NEXT to receive the same discount over the phone.

A: If your identity is stolen or compromised during the time you are an active member of LifeLock, the paperwork connected to clearing your name and credit will be completed for you, as stated in their terms and conditions on LifeLock's website.

According to the Lifelock service guarantee, if your identity is stolen and used without your knowledge, Lifelock will pay a professional of their choosing to restore and/or recover losses up to $1 Million. The $1 Million limit is not per incident, but total for the lifetime of all incidents.

LifeLock subscribers have the obligation to notify the company within 30 days from the point in which they discovered that their identity may have been stolen in order to be fully covered by the guarantee.

To learn more about LifeLock or other identity theft protection service providers, visit our identity theft protection reviews and comparison.

Heartland Payment Systems, a large credit card processor based in New Jersey, announced this week that hackers had breached the company's computer network and potentially gained access to customer information related to approximately 100 million transaction processed by the company. The breach included information that would allow criminals with the proper knowledge and equipment to create duplicate credit cards.

While Heartland is based on the east coast of the United States, the company processes transactions for 250,000 business located across the country and of all sizes and types.

There is no information available regarding notification of potential victims, although most states do have strict laws that require businesses to disclose data breaches to consumers. Businesses also commonly provide free access to a credit report monitoring service to victims for some period of time following a breach. There is no word yet whether Heartland will be providing free credit report monitoring to victims.

As always, our advice is to act quickly if you believe you or your family may have been a potential victim of this breach. We recommend that consumers review their credit reports in an effort to identify any suspicious accounts or activity. Many credit report monitoring services offer free access to your credit reports and scores when you sign up for a free trial (read our reviews and comparison of credit report monitoring services to learn more). It is also a good idea to keep an eye on your credit card statements and alert your credit card company of any charges that you believe may be fraudulent.

Additionally, we recommend signing up for an identity theft protection service, such as Trusted ID or LifeLock, that can help prevent new fraudulent financial accounts from being opened in your name.

Q: I got my social on January of last year and I've been trying to make credit applying for credit cards and they send letters saying that I already have bad credit, and criminal accounts something like that and they call me asking for some payments of the accounts I own, and that I have a loan mortgage. How can that be possible, can you help me to solve this situation? Or give some ideas of what can I do? Thank you I really need help.

A: Unfortunately, it sounds like there is a very good chance that you have been victimized by an identity thief who has opened financial accounts and committed other criminal acts in your name. While recovering from identity theft can be difficult and stressful, it is not impossible. Here are some immediate actions you can take:

1) Contact each of the three credit bureaus and ask them to place a credit freeze on your credit report. There is a small fee in most states for setting a credit freeze, but it will completely lock down your credit file and insure that no further financial accounts are opened fraudulently in your name. Here is the contact information for each of the three credit bureaus:

TransUnion: 1-800-680-7289; www.transunion.com; Fraud Victim Assistance Division, P.O. Box 6790, Fullerton, CA 92834-6790

Equifax: 1-800-525-6285; www.equifax.com; P.O. Box 740241, Atlanta, GA 30374-0241

Experian: 1-888-EXPERIAN (397-3742); www.experian.com; P.O. Box 9532, Allen, TX 75013

Another option is to set a fraud alert instead of a credit freeze. A fraud alert is an annotation on your credit report that lets potential lenders know that you have reason to believe that you are an identity theft victim. While fraud alerts can be useful in many cases, your situation seems serious enough to warrant a full credit freeze.

2) Get a copy of your credit report from all three credit bureaus. Your credit report will list all the financial accounts that have been opened and reported to the credit bureaus in your name. You can request a free copy of your credit report from each of the credit bureaus when you set a credit freeze or fraud alert. You can also get a credit report instantly by signing up for a free trial of a credit report service like Identity Guard. Once you have your credit reports in hand, review them thoroughly identify any accounts that you don't recognize. Contact the customer support department of each of these suspect accounts and let them know that you believe that the account has been opened fraudulently. Each of these companies will have a different process for dealing with the fraud, but make sure that each of these accounts is closed immediately.

3) File a report with your local police or sheriff's department. Call the non-emergency phone number for your local law enforcement agency and let them know you believe you would like to report an identity theft. You may be able to file your report over the phone or you may have to file it in person.
File an identity theft complaint with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). While the FTC can't provide assistance with individual identity theft cases, reporting your case can help identity patterns in identity theft crimes that can help prevent others from being victimized. You can file an identity theft complaint with the FTC at this website:

https://www.ftccomplaintassistant.gov/

4) Consider an identity theft protection service such as Trusted ID or LifeLock to help you prevent being victimized in the future. Each of these services will help mitigate the risk of future identity theft and may be able to provide assistance with your current identity theft issues. You can see a list of all of the identity theft protection services we have reviewed at NextAdvisor.com.

We sincerely hope this information is helpful and wish you the best of luck in your recovery.