KEEP YOUR CHILDREN SAFE FROM CHILD IDENTITY THEFT

It is not an original piece of news that identity theft is one of the most increasing crimes in the United States of America. Criminal experts, criminal statistics and law enforcement officials agree on the fact that each year more and more Americans have to face the dreadful process of trying to gain their identity back  and recover from the financial and economic turmoil they are thrown in after somebody known or unknown has unscrupulously accessed their personal, sensitive information and has applied for loans online, bought items over the Internet or received medical assistance.
However, what is now really scaring is that child identity theft crime is growing extremely fast, especially amongst those children who are old enough to participate on social network sites such as Facebook, chat with their friends through any of the instant message service providers or use the email to share info with their friends. Therefore, it is of utmost importance that parents, adults and tutors children are in contact with explain to them carefully why it is so relevant that they learn to protect their personal, sensitive information whenever they are surfing the Internet.
Identity theft criminals are particularly eager to rob children of their identity as they are sure that it will take really long before they realize that somebody has unscrupulously used their private information. It is only when the grown up child starts University and perhaps needs to apply for a credit card or rent an apartment when he or she discovers that his or her credit report is compromised.
As soon as parents suspect that their son or daughter has fallen victim of this hideous crime, they should contact any of the nationwide credit report agencies (Equifax, Experian or Transunion) and ask them to provide a credit report for the child. If they cannot send you a credit report, that is good news as it means that your suspicions were just that. However, if you receive a credit report it means that he or she has started paying bills in his name or that he has applied for a loan. If you are convinced that your child has not entered into any kind of financial transaction, it is highly advisable that you ask any of the above mentioned credit report agencies to place a security alert in your child’s report. You do not need to contact all three agencies as the one you get in touch with will let the other two know immediately.
Criminal experts and law enforcement officials express that one of the most puzzling facts about child identity theft is that many a time this hideous crime is committed by the child’s parents or relatives that have access to the boy’s or girl’s Social Security number or any personal sensitive information such as date of birth that can be valuable.