07.07.08
Posted in Children's ID Theft at 10:30 pm by CreditMom
This week there has been much in the press about Facebook applications potentially leading to identity theft. Any one that has a Facebook account has seen the countless applications that are extremely popular with kids and adults alike. There’s movie compatability quizzes, brain games, send a friend a cupcake and many many more. I know my 14 year old can rattle off much more than I can and it seems every day he has loaded a new application (I know this because yes, I do openly monitor his Facebook).
Today I read this article from http://wbaltv.com regarding a game called “Mob Wars” that is an application on Facebook. You need to be 18 to play but of course any kid knows it’s pretty simple to lie about their age. Basically the player is a mob member and commits a variety of crimes. In order to get points the player clicks on a Godfather icon that leads him/her to a series of sketchy advertisements ranging from drug offers, adult magazines and credit applications that require a social security number. Many kids don’t know any better and input their social security number, subjecting them to ID theft.
The games are 3rd party web sites and not associated with Facebook but does the average kid know that and if so, would he/she even care? I feel Facebook does have responsibility to screen these applications since a major portion of their members are minors. In fact according to comScore Media Metrix the number of Facebook members between age 12 and 17 increased by 149% in 2007 vs. 2006. This age group is the largest growing segment and it does not include the amount of kids that lie about their age to place them in the 18+ bucket.
Do you feel Facebook should have stricter screening policies, is it the parent’s role or both? Would love to hear your thoughts.
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05.30.08
Posted in Children's ID Theft at 12:51 am by CreditMom
This week, we may have been the victims of identity theft. We are having renovations done in our house which means there are unattended workers during the day. Last night, my 10 year old claimed to have “lost” his phone. Of course I reacted very calmly (NOT!…since it’s not even a month old) while we tore apart every inch of the house. Then, I noticed my Ipod missing from my night table. After that his twin brother noticed his Ipod missing from the computer where he had left it charging. Also missing was my old mobile phone that I left with my boys as a spare.
Of course my first reaction was to blame the kids. After all, their room tends to look like gale force winds passed through it even on a good day so it’s no wonder something could get lost….but 4 things in a row? Something wasn’t right. Well, I’ll never be 100% sure if one of the workers actually stole the items or whether they’ll turn up in a sock drawer, the dog’s crate or even the plumbing for the toilet but what I do know is lost or stolen, there was a ton of personal information on those phones.
So what was on my phone? To start, about 80 or so contact ID’s: names, phone numbers, photo ID’s and email addresses. In addition to that was my call history and uncleared text messages. It gets even better - I thought I was pretty slick and input all of my rewards point programs and passwords into my notepad - wait, it still gets better….I input all of the combination lock codes into the notepad as well. Want a bike? The code is there. My son input his 2 locker numbers and combination codes into his phone. Then there are the pictures…all with clearly labeled file names. Any one can tie the picture back to the contact list. It goes on and on.
As I write this I am beginning to feel more and more violated. If someone wants to they could pretty much piece my family’s life together. Imagine if it was a blackberry? People store physical addresses, activate auto logins to their emails, bank accounts, etc. It’s just endless and we wonder how we become victims of Identity Theft!
Has this ever happened to you? What did you learn from it and how do we protect ourselves and our families?
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05.25.08
Posted in Children's ID Theft at 7:39 am by CreditMom
I have to admit, children’s Identity theft has never been top of mind for me. In fact, when it comes to children related theft the first things that come to my mind are lockers broken into or stolen bicycles. But, kids and ID theft seem to be making the forefront of the news lately.
According to the FTC, 400,000 kids per year have their identity stolen. Who would steal a child’s ID and how would we even know it’s stolen? Unfortunately kids are the best targets for identity theft because their credit is completely clean. A care taker, relative or even a parent is typically the culprit. What’s worse is most times a child doesn’t even know their ID is stolen until they apply for their first car loan or credit card or even a student loan for college. By that time, they might have multiple credit cards with credit lines in the thousands of dollars and they might also be in major debt.
A few tips:
- Don’t carry any social security cards with you
- Beware if your child begins to receive pre approved credit card applications in the mail or cannot open up a checking or savings account
- Also beware if your child is denied car insurance or drivers license renewal
- Teach your kids not to give out their social security number to anyone without your approval and be especially aware of phishing type emails on the internet
So the next time my kids leave the house do I need to make sure they lock up their ID’s as well as their bikes? Has any one’s child ever been the victim of identity theft? Could you please share your experiences and what you have learned so others may take precaution?
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