As a parent of children on the internet, our first instinct is to protect them and make sure they understand to never give out their name or other personal information to anyone. But, just like in the case of an airplane emergency, the parent actually needs to protect themselves first in order to best protect their children second. This also applies in the case of identity theft protection.

The truth is, with more kids currently being educated through the internet, both adults and children are extra vulnerable to having their identities stolen. More than 1 million children in the U.S. were identity theft victims, resulting in losses of $2.67 billion, according to a child identity fraud study by Javelin Strategy & Research.

No one is too young to be targeted, with two-thirds of the victims under the age of eight. Another 20 percent are eight to 12 years old. It’s important to make sure your identity is protected from criminals and then extend that protection to your children and other family members, so your lives aren’t turned upside down because of identity theft.

Why are children’s identities stolen?

Criminals gravitate towards children’s identities because they know they are less likely to spend their time monitoring their own online activity. Kids are online to communicate with their friends, not check their bank account balance. Criminals can use you or your child’s stolen Social Security number (SSN) and other personal information to open new credit cards and other credit lines, make fraudulent purchases, change your billing address and even obtain a driver’s license in you or your child’s name.

The longer the activity goes undetected, the more is stolen. This criminal activity can negatively affect you and your children’s lives for years. Sometimes the theft isn’t detected until a child turns 18 and wants to begin establishing their own credit.

Keeping everyone’s identity safe

Only share your child’s or your SSN and other identifying information with trustworthy organizations for official purposes, such as school registration. Make sure your child understands to never give out this number or any other personal information such as their address or phone number to anyone. Whenever you do submit personal information, ask how the organization will protect it.

Also inform your kids not to click on links or pop-up advertisements while they are on their phones or doing their homework. Sometimes malware is automatically downloaded onto devices just by clicking on links. Same is true for links inside an email. If you receive a call requesting personal information about you or your child, don’t immediately assume it’s legitimate, assume it’s fraudulent instead. Hang up and call the organization back if you think it is an official phone number. A live person that can identify themselves will answer if it is legitimate.

Shred or burn any documents with you or your child’s personal information before you throw them away or put them in the recycling bin outside.

Monitoring your identity and credit is essential to protecting your family. A credit and identity protection service can help provide you with alerts when your SSN is used, so you can act quickly if your personal information is at risk. In certain plans, you can add your children for family protection.

Whether you’ve already been a victim of identity theft or you want to be proactive about staying safe from fraud, you should always keep updated on your credit activity through the use of the most powerful software available. Remember. The best program does the work for you, so you don’t have to worry or give it a second thought. For more information, visit https://identitytheftprotection123.com/.

Did you know that consumers lost $56 billion to identity fraud in 2020? Identity theft affected 15% of Americans in 2020 alone. That’s why identity protection is essential in today’s internet age.

There are dozens of ways for people to steal your identity, and a lot of it happens online. Even when you’re very careful with your personal information, it can still happen. 

Identity theft protection can go a long way toward helping you gain peace of mind and avoid fraudulent activity. Here’s why you should enroll in identity protection today.

Being Careful Isn’t Enough

A lot of consumers understand that they need to be very careful with their personal information. They set excellent passwords, don’t share information unnecessarily, and avoid storing credit card information on their internet browser or in their phones.

Unfortunately, as careful as you are, other people who have your data may still be careless. Perhaps a retailer doesn’t protect your payment information and it falls into the wrong hands. Hackers also target businesses that use personal information and steal the data, often selling it to thieves.

Identity protection allows you to know that even if your best efforts don’t work, you’re protected and have help getting back on track.

Thieves Love Personal Information

Why would someone steal your information, and what do they plan to do with it? Many of us think that there’s not much special about us, and can’t understand why someone would want to use our data.

The truth is that thieves can use your personal information for a variety of purposes. The two primary goals are to steal money and to conduct an activity without having it traced back to them. For example, they might buy a phone in your name and use it for criminal enterprise. They might make fraudulent purchases. They can open utility accounts in your name using fake addresses.

It’s scary, but you don’t have to lose sleep over their bad intentions. With identity protection, you can be alerted when there are changes to your credit report, new applications in your name, and more. If anything goes wrong, you’ll know right away.

Protect Yourself from Financial Loss

When someone steals your identity, it can cost you a lot of money. Without monitoring, by the time you notice something has happened a lot of financial damage has already been done.

Identity protection helps you catch issues early so you don’t suffer significant financial loss. In addition, the best plans have insurance so that you can cover your out-of-pocket expenses due to identity theft. These two benefits can save you thousands of dollars!

Get Started with Identity Protection Now!

Thieves and hackers are looking for personal information they can profit from every day. You can’t afford to wait when it comes to protecting your identity. The sooner you take action, the less access criminals will have to your future.

Get the alerts and peace of mind you deserve as you live your daily life in today’s connected society. We’re here to help. Contact us today!

Every year, tax season presents a seasonal opportunity for criminals seeking monetary gain from identity theft. There are many ways that cyber criminals may try to obtain personal information, but the end goal is to file a falsified tax return in the taxpayer’s name and claim a tax refund. The scheme may not be discovered until the taxpayer attempts to file a legitimate tax return, by which time the criminal has moved on.

Clearing up issues related to identity theft and fraudulent tax returns can be messy and significantly delay any tax refund you may be owed. It pays to protect your identity now. Here’s how to help avoid tax identity theft in the year to come.

Be first to file your taxes

By now, you should have already filed for your 2021 taxes unless you filed for an extension for an October 15, 2021 deadline. Regardless of when you filed, one thing is for certain. There will always be taxes and preparing now for 2022 will only work in your favor. 

Once you’ve filed your tax return to the IRS with your Social Security number (SSN), criminals will be unable to file under your name, which is why it’s important to file quickly. The earlier you file your tax return, the less time criminals will have to file a fraudulent return in your name.

To avoid delays in processing, the IRS has recommended against filing paper returns whenever possible, and to request for a direct deposit of your refund into your bank.

Be aware of scare tactics

If you receive any unexpected communications claiming to be from the IRS either by phone or mail, or other official organization, don’t assume they are real. Criminals impersonate legitimate organizations request information including your name, birth date, address, employer and SSN. Don’t open any unsolicited email attachments, click any links or provide any information without verifying the source.

If you want to verify that the IRS has officially contacted you, you can contact them directly by calling 800-829-1040. To report an email scam, you can forward the email to phishing@irs.gov.

For criminals impersonating the IRS by phone, you can report the call at www.tigta.gov.

Protect your identity

Take steps to protect your data, including your SSN and other personally identifiable information by using an identity theft protection software program. Keep paper records in a secure place and dispose of them permanently when you no longer need them. If you keep records on your computer or in the cloud, make sure they are password protected and change your passwords frequently.

If you need to send documents to a tax preparer, send them securely. Before hiring a tax preparer, do your research and ask what type of secure measures they take to protect client information.