How To Protect Yourself

How Can You Protect Your Child's Future?

You are never too young to become a victim of identity theft. In fact, according to a recent Carnegie Mellon University study, children are likely to be targeted even more often than adults, and when they are, the crime may go undetected for years. If you have a child living at home, the FTC recommends you:

• Find out who has access to your child’s personal information at school and verify they keep this information in a secure place.
• Anytime you receive information from school asking you to divulge personal information about your child, find out how it will be used, whether it will be shared, and to whom it will be divulged before your reveal anything.
• Ask how your child’s school handles privacy issues on surveys. If the school experiences a data breach, immediately contact it to learn how you can best protect your child.

Maryland is the first state to institute a law to curb identity theft crimes against children. It allows parents to freeze their kids’ credit preemptively. Click here to learn more about this law. If you don’t live in Maryland, check with your state Attorney General to see what measures they are taking to safeguard children.