• Open a bank account. Here’s a basic step that’s sometimes overlooked by people seeking credit. Opening checking and savings accounts is also one of the few things you can do as a minor to start building a financial history.

  A savings or checking account may not affect your credit score directly, but the account activity will demonstrate your stability and ability to handle money responsibly. However, you need to remember that writing bad checks or overdrawing from your bank account are negative indicators to lenders and damage your credibility.

• Apply for a low credit limit or student credit card. Plan to pay your balance off each month and follow a budget. If you must carry a balance, never pay late and don’t exceed 30% of your available credit line. Make sure to include your student status on your application; full-time students often are given a lower initial credit limit to help build a healthy credit history.
• If you don’t qualify for a regular credit card, apply for a secured card that requires a deposit of money with a lender. Your credit limit is usually equal to the amount on deposit. But be careful of high rates and punitive fees that may be part of the terms with some of these offers.
• Get a store credit card. Department store and gasoline credit cards are generally easier to obtain than major credit cards such as a MasterCard®, Visa®, or Discover®. These cards don’t do as much for your credit score as a bank card (Visa, MasterCard, Discover, etc.), but they’re usually easier to get.
• Apply for a small loan and repay it promptly and on time. To increase your chances of being approved, plan to apply a large down payment on the loan. If your application is denied, consider getting someone with an established credit history to co-sign on your behalf.

If you make all payments on time and never go over the credit limit, over a period of years your credit history will be in good shape. Even better, the longer you keep it up, the better your credit score will be (up to roughly seven years).

Financial institutions must make credit equally available to all creditworthy applicants. Under the Equal Credit Opportunity Act, you have certain rights that protect you against unfair credit discrimination. Under this Act, you cannot be denied credit because of your age, sex, marital status, race, religion, national origin, income from public assistance, intent to have children or birth control practices.

If you suspect discrimination by a bank, savings and loan or credit union, ask for the name and address of the federal agency that enforces the Equal Credit Opportunity Act (depending on the institution, this will be either the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, the Office of Thrift Supervision or the National Credit Union Administration). The Equal Credit Opportunity Act mandates that the creditor must give you this information.

For additional articles and resources on everything you need to know to apply for a credit card, please visit WowCreditCards.com and check out the many instant credit card applications.

Today, not blogging or networking is the exception.

Just how broad an internet presence do you need? And if you’re in the slow lane, how can you catch up without compromising your privacy or safety? We’ll explore what having and maintaining an online identity means…and what can actually happen if you don’t keep up with web networking.

Getting to Know You…Even if You Are You

It may surprise you to know that whether or not you blog, belong to a network site like Facebook or Twitter, or even regularly send emails to family and friends, your name may already be on the world wide web.

The company you work for may list you as Employee of the Month, for example, or a distant associate may recall an anecdote that involved you in some way, and have blogged about it.

A quick test is to Google your own name. If you have a common first and last name, include your middle initial, or one other piece of information, such as your company or home town. Whether or not you choose to network, connections are being made all around you daily…and will eventually include you.

How Not Networking Can Backfire

Unfortunately, leaving your online identity wide open is as good as an invitation for online thieves to snatch it up.

There are a variety of reasons con artists may pose as other people online. Simply creating a false identity from scratch doesn’t have as much validity as a name that can be verified in other places on the web. And a thief who has found you knows he can “prove” himself by handing over links that really do include you as proof that he or she is a “real person”.

Eventually, it’s all bound to break down, leaving your name out there for all time as a person with a bad reputation…even though you didn’t do a thing wrong.

Can Presence and Privacy Coexist?

I it all seems a little unfair, remember that progress always comes with a price. What about privacy? you may be wondering (and rightly so).

Actually, even those who do regularly communicate along a network value their privacy. Though most of us, as human beings, like to make connections with others, we naturally want control over what—and how much—we share.

If you choose to join a networking site, choose one with plenty of privacy options. You can often “hide” information if you wish, or share it only with people on your Friends list. Be careful with photos, or don’t post any at all; the choice is up to you. Hide your last name and/or town as well.

At the same time, make sure your real identity is an internet presence in some form. For example, Linkedin.com is an excellent choice for creating an online identity as only your professional information is asked for. Your wife’s and children’s names, your town, and what you ate for breakfast aren’t expected from you–just the (probably already searchable) facts.

You may also wish to periodically look up your name via the search engine of your choice (or choose more than one, though generally, results overlap). If anything fishy comes up, you can attempt to correct the situation before it gets out of hand.

Above all, be responsible about what information you share. Compromising nostalgia pictures of your high school senior class trip may wind up in your children’s (or employer’s, your minister’s or a current beau’s) hands eventually. Even if you later delete information or an entire account, if it has existed in the past, the information may have already been gathered and saved for a variety of reasons by people you don’t even know.

As with anything else on the internet, watch what you post and what other people post about you—and you’ll find your experience not only more satisfying, but more safe.

Related Articles

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• Is “Space Faking” a Threat to Your Identity?
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Savvy seekers watch out for well-known red flags. For example, an individual who can never be called or contacted any way other than e-mail may warn of another person already in the picture. Someone who asks for pictures but refuses to send any in return is another unspoken warning, and of course, anyone who asks for “help” with such issues as bills can be a bad sign.

But one danger of online dating that most people don’t anticipate is the possibility of being an unwitting partner in criminal activity by a significant other who flatters, flirts and makes promises.

Jailed For Being Too Trusting?

This month, Pennsylvania-based news source The Daily Item reported the arrest of Joyce Newton, who stands accused of receiving stolen property, identity theft and criminal conspiracy to commit identity theft. Newton says she’s innocent and was only following instructions from a South African online paramour, who asked her to ship certain products to him.

Newton and a man identified by the Item only as “Omega” struck up an online friendship in 2003. It quickly led to more, including gifts from “Omega,” according to Newton. He even sent her daughter Christmas gifts, Newton claims.

He then asked Newton to receive a shipment and forward it to him. When she asked him why he couldn’t simply have the goods shipped directly to him, he claimed it had to do with policies on shipping internationally, Newton says.

But the goods—including computers—were purchased using the stolen identities of a New Jersey couple, according to prosecutors. Newton maintains her innocence, but faces serious charges that could ultimately put her in jail.

Smart Online Dating

Because it may be difficult for adults to meet eligible singles, online dating has been enormously popular since its inception. Online dating can be a good way of making introductions without having to make promises, and of “screening” possible dates ahead of time, making it an appealing and sensible alternative.

However, online “meetings” have their downside: it’s generally easier for an individual to misrepresent him- or herself on the web versus in person, where realtime personalities may differ widely from internet banter.

A somewhat less drastic repercussion of misrepresentation is disappointment (and not asking for a second date). But like “Omega,” some individuals deliberately prey on the lonely, looking for someone they feel they can dupe into doing their dirty work for them.

In addition to tips on avoiding internet dating dangers (which are easily searchable on the web), watch out for the following when looking for love online:

• An individual who wants too much, too soon. Super-rushed relationships may mean someone who’s hiding something, experts say.

• An individual who lives an unreasonable distance away. Yes, relationships can develop of their own accord even between international couples who meet up on the web based on shared interests or membership to a site or forum. But in general, if a person who lives very far away (particularly another country) deliberately and aggressively seeks a relationship, ask yourself why he or she doesn’t want to form a relationship with someone he or she has more access to.

• Someone who asks for special “favors”. If you haven’t met yet or if you’ve only met a handful of times and your paramour asks you to do a “big favor”–especially if it makes you uncomfortable—beware. If the “favor” involves mysterious packages, sending messages to an unknown party or sending money, it’s very possible he or she has been grooming you for just this purpose from the beginning…and you may be unwittingly engaging in criminal activity.

Above all, if anything about the relationship makes you question or gives you an uneasy feeling, be smart: discontinue the relationship. NEVER act overly needy and NEVER allow yourself to fall victim to someone who aggressively pursues you whether you want it or not. This way, you can weed out potential disasters to find someone who really is right for you.

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But crooks are using this safety feature to their advantage—by signing on with services that disguise their phone number and even, in some cases, the voice. For about $10 an hour, a con artist can potentially receive very profitable returns by stealing identifying information on any number of unsuspecting individuals.

And amazingly, though ID theft is obviously a crime, these call spoofing services are legal in every state in the U.S. except one.

The Governor’s Wife Gets a Phone Call

ABC News recently reported on a call spoofing spree that affected hundreds of Lancaster, PA residents.

A few were either fooled or were on the verge of giving away information, including, incredibly, the mayor’s wife, Gail Gray.

And the bold crooks nearly got away with it, according to Mrs.Gray. Posing as a local bank, the callers demanded that she reveal information to them.

“It threw a scare into me initially,” Mrs. Gray told ABC News. “It’s like they knew they had a bite on the line and they were ready to hook one.”

A Psychological Game

Mrs. Gray was more right than even she may know. Generally, call spoofers are practiced con artists who have spent time honing their persuasive skills.

Relying on false familiarity (posing as a known bank, a credit card company or even the IRS), call spoofers first establish that they are someone the caller “knows”–or feels he should know–then assume a highly professional tone while fishing for personal information.

Pushing people’s buttons during an economic time in which fear of money loss is rampant, a call spoofer may attempt to frighten his victim by saying there has been a security breach and that he or she must verify certain data.

Alternately, phone con artists may take a more friendly tone, even posing as well-known charities, particularly those that involve children or animals, as these tend to get at people’s emotions quickly.

Be Wise to the Game

Currently, there are no laws against Caller ID spoofing services in any state except Florida. Therfore, most people in the U.S. will want to be aware that the method exists, and know how to combat it.

First, NEVER give information such as your account number, Social Security number, driver’s license number or mother’s maiden name over the phone.

No matter who the caller says he or she is, and no matter how “urgent” the “situation,” calmly say you wish to take down the information and call the company back.

Most crooks will hang up at this point, but some will go ahead and give you a phone number. These can be temporary, “rented” numbers—even if they are toll-free—so look up the number of the establishment yourself.

If the phone number doesn’t match the number you’ve been given, call the actual establishment and advise them of the call you’ve received. Ask whether the warning you’ve been given is true. If it is, go into the bank yourself—do NOT give the information over the phone regardless.

Get in the habit of staying calm, assessing a situation and following through in person no matter what. Never feel pressured to give out your personal information in this manner. Remind yourself that no reputable bank or credit card company would demand personal information in this manner…and then hang up the phone.

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But researchers at England’s University of Cambridge say the feature could make it easier than ever to target individuals for ID theft.

In a recently published paper, the UK-based researchers showed how they had developed a software tool to target Facebook users in ways you might never think of…but which could put the individual’s online safety in jeopardy.

Even Limited Information May Reveal Too Much

Joseph Bonneau, Jonathan Anderson, Ross Anderson and Frank Stajano of Cambridge University’s Computer Laboratory outlined how web spiders could go back again and again to pull the identities of a Facebook user’s friends. A software program could then easily make inferences about the user’s associations.

This could lead to targeted phishing scams, reports claim.

According to Mr. Bonneau, marketers look for “the best connected” individuals to target for their campaigns, as these popular network users may be able to influence others.

However, the data could also be used by criminals whose intent, too, is to make a buck…but through theft.

“You could do targeted phishing attacks if you knew people’s (Facebook) friends and claim (sic) to be their friend,” Bonneau pointed out.

Facebook Says: Change the Settings

Facebook representatives said there may be less danger than is being claimed, particularly since privacy settings can be changed by the user.

Facebook’s chief privacy officer Chris Kelly pointed out that the search feature is meant to help users by allowing each user to control his or her own privacy settings. A Facebook user can leave certain data accessible, but only a limited amount if he or she chooses.

“Changes as to the presence or content of a public search listing may be made easily by any user on the privacy settings page,” Mr. Kelly pointed out.

But Mr. Bonneau argued that many users don’t even know there’s an option. “(Facebook users) think it’s just their friends who can see their data” most of the time, he claimed.

Facebook users can opt out of the public listings feature if they’d like to remain hidden from non-Facebook users, an option that may be more protective in the long run.

A full copy of the Cambridge University study can be found here.

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The Tennessean reported last week that Nashville resident Steven Gilmore was arrested when he attempted to sell a flash drive—a portable storage device—to an undercover agent. The drive was filled with Social Security and bank account numbers, the Tennessean reported.

Gilmore faces charges of identity theft, aggravated identity theft and access device fraud.

Feds Tracked Gilmore for 16 Months

Gilmore had been under suspicion of illegal activities since December of 2007, when a complaint of fraudulent use of a credit card led officials to Anthony Michael Atkins, who had been convicted of access device fraud in 2005.

Atkins told authorities that he had purchased personal information numbers from Gilmore in the past in order to open fake identities on auction site eBay.

It would take 16 more months for Gilmore to be trapped by his own greed…by unknowingly trying to sell his stolen goods to a secret agent.

He Used His Jobs to Gain Access

In a move that’s being seen more and more in the world of identity theft, Gilmore had been using databases through several child support services-related jobs in order to obtain the personal information of a number of unknowing victims.

Legal records show that Gilmore’s job at child support services contractor Policy Studies was terminated on Jan. 8. But he still had some 1,500 records in his possession at that time, according to reports.

Prior to working at Policy Studies, Gilmore was employed by the Cookeville district attorney’s office in its child support position. He also applied with Wilson County for a similar job.

Caught in the Act…at Last

Because of Atkins’ assertion that Gilmore had sold him stolen identity information, Secret Services began tracking Gilmore, looking for evidence.

Atkins had told authorities that he asked Gilmore for a name similar to his own in order that Atkins might apply for a job at community-based AIDS service association Nashville Cares. Atkins claimed that Gilmore responded by sending him various identities, charging $2-5 each.

Gilmore was finally busted when he attempted to sell personal information to an undercover agent. According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Nashville, three separate attempted transactions were tracked by law agents.

ID Theft “Getting to Be a Big Problem”

Due to his former jobs, Gilmore may have accessed information on individuals not only in Tennessee but in different states, reports say.

According to Ed Yarbrough, U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Tennessee, individuals whose information had been lifted by Gilmore have been alerted and “will be protected”.

“The idea of identity theft is getting to be a big problem,” Yarbrough noted. “It’s one of the reasons we’re pursuing this.”

It may be prudent to note, however, that Gilmore was in action with his criminal activities for well over a year before being arrested…and considering his apparent ease with the process, may have been doing so even earlier.

Be smart; protect yourself. Shred unwanted documents, request free credit reports annually and sign up with a reputable credit monitoring/protection service. Don’t wait for police to receive the tip that might never come…or could come after you’ve already been made a victim.

Aaron Marks of Boston, MA told MSNBC that when he attempted to electronically file his taxes last year, the Internal Revenue Service informed him that he could not–because someone else had already filed in his name.

Marks was told on the phone to submit his tax forms anyway, but has told reporters that a year later, he still hasn’t received his refund. He says he’s owed $2000 from the 2007 tax year.

Marks’ Problem Wasn’t Unique

MSNBC reporters commented in their Red Tape Chronicles that the Senate Finance Committee heard testimony at about the same time regarding a number of similar issues.

The reason for fraudulent IRS filing, testifiers said, is that the criminal receives the refund checks owed to the innocent tax payers whose identity he or she has stolen.

This obviously causes holdups in rectifying each individual situation and in the meantime, leaves citizens victimized twice: once by identity theft, and the second time by not receiving the refund.

According to Aaron Marks, he has received nothing but the runaround while the IRS tries to unravel this and numerous other similar scenarios. Marks has told reporters that he was advised by the IRS to call the FTC (Federal Trade Commission), who then told him he would need to file a police report.

In the meantime, Marks hasn’t received his 2007 refund or his 2008 stimulus check. Most frustrating of all, while Marks is inundated with telephone calls to make and paperwork to follow up on, it’s highly likely that a criminal somewhere has received, and possibly long ago spent, Marks’ hard-earned refund money.

IRS Struggles to Handle Complaints

As victims like Marks work to rectify an aggravating and unfair situation, the IRS has launched the IRS Identity Protection Specialized Unit in an effort to give each victim of false IRS filing more and faster attention.

The unit can be reached via the IRS’ Identity Theft Hotline, 800-908-4490. Phones are answered 8AM-8PM local time (Alaska and Hawaii operate on Pacific Time hours).

And there’s a website with instructions on how to proceed should one suspect identity fraud.

Prevention May Be Less Painful Than the Cure

The drawback to these efforts, of course, is that for the person utilizing such services, ID theft has already occurred.

A few ways to help keep yourself safe during tax time include the following:

• Don’t use a temporary tax preparer. They’re cheap and they often make promises on fast tax preparation for last-minute filers, but experts say a slap-dash executed and filed form is more likely to be waylaid on route (electronically or in the mail) by a criminal just waiting for such an opportunity.

• Beware of email or a phone call “from the IRS”. It may not be. Identity thieves are often masters of the art of deception and may use a variety of tactics–including official-sounding callers with “urgent” messages–to nab your information just prior to tax time. An official document will come in the mail, and it will be on official IRS letterhead and stationery and will be verifiable with a phone call.

• Be particularly careful of throwing out receipts and other old, outdated paperwork during tax time. The early months of the year culminating on April 15th are prime trash-diving time for IRS defrauders. If you must throw away old paperwork (remember to save all tax forms for at least seven years in the event of a possible audit), shred the papers first. Make sure you use a quality shredder that will cut the pieces too finely to be pieced back together again.

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Now, one Indiana resident has found himself not only a victim of an ID breach…but of the consequences of another crime the thief allegedly committed.

In a horror story of ID theft reaching new levels, Jeff Goldsmith of Elkhart was arrested in his own home Feb. 25 for abusing “his” girlfriend’s six-year-old child badly enough to put the boy in the hospital.

It took many repetitions of his innocence for the shocked Goldsmith to convince the police to look into the matter further. Because in reality, the person who committed the heinous crime was a thief who had stolen and was currently using Goldsmith’s name and Social Security number.

In fact, Goldsmith doesn’t have a six-year-old son…and hasn’t even visited the city where the boy lives since 2007, the ID theft victim has insisted.

He Did All the Right Things

Goldsmith was doubly dismayed at the gaffe because he thought he was protected from identity theft. He had been monitoring his credit reports and says he had ID theft insurance.

But it was may not have been right type or enough coverage (reports don’t give specifics of Goldsmith’s anti-ID theft plan), because in February, Goldsmith found himself being taken from his home to the police station despite protestations to his innocence.

Goldsmith is described as a model citizen and has told reporters that he’s led a very average, on-the-level life. He has no “girlfriend”—he has been married for 20 years—and hasn’t visited Ft. Wayne, the site of the alleged abuse, in more than two years, Goldsmith said. (At that time, he was visiting a zoo with is grandson.) He has never met the boy described as an abuse victim or his mother.

“I even register my dog. I don’t speed or anything,” Goldsmith is reported to have said upon his mistaken arrest. “I can’t figure out why they’d be coming to arrest me, for God’s sake.”

Warning Signs

Perhaps the worst part of the entire debacle is that Goldsmith had some warning signs that his identity might be in jeopardy.

Prior to the arrest, he had received two bills that clearly weren’t his—a phone bill and an insurance bill for a vehicle he didn’t own—and had cleared the issue up with the companies. He then took out identity theft insurance, reports say.

Yet the criminal snuck away with Goldsmith’s good name, then allegedly proceeded to abuse the son of his girlfriend, someone who, like the criminal and the youngster, Goldsmith had never met in his life.

The mother of the actual victim, upon viewing Goldsmith, said that he definitely isn’t the man who is said to have beaten her son. The real suspect remains unidentitfied.

Worse Than Standard ID Theft

Identity theft is nothing new, but the mistreatment of a child resulting in hospitalization constitutes a felony. Such a threat to innocent victims of ID theft makes the misdeed more ominous than ever.

Law officials connected with the case agreed that this particular type of mistaken identity is a frightening sign of what identity theft can lead to. “Who wants to put an innocent person in jail?” Gabe Furnish, the officer in charge of Goldsmith’s case, commented.

Particularly with warning signs such as the clear signals Goldsmith had received, it is critical to find a reputable credit monitoring and anti-ID theft company which monitors a variety of activities and gives immediate alerts.

Be sure to look over prospective companies carefully and to compare to discover which is right for you and offers the best possible protection. Don’t be the next victim—make sure you’re protected from criminals who don’t stop at just theft.

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Comparing sixteen anti-ID theft services, the CFA report reveals that some may have misstated information during the time period they were studied (Sept. 2008-Feb. 2009) and lists steps that be taken independently, at no cost to the consumer.

At the same time, the report notes the enormity of the problem of identity theft and acknowledges that some services do much more than simple credit monitoring, making them a good choice for some consumers.

Let’s take a closer look at what credit monitoring programs can and can’t do so you can make the decision whether to be a credit protection maverick or rent a monitoring “posse” of your own.

A Time Commitment

So…should you or shouldn’t you? How big a problem is ID theft, anyway? And how much should you pay for protection…or is it better to take matters into your own hands?

To be realistic, the best candidate for an at-home, self generated protection program is organized, has relatively few financial accounts to keep track of and has enough time at his or her disposal to make routine, detailed checks of each, as well as checks of his medical records and online usage of his name.

He should also have a financial “cushion” to fall back on in the interim should identity theft occur. Keep in mind that resolving a case of ID theft in your favor could potentially involve legal fees depending upon what the crook attempts in your name.

For example, most credit cards offer reimbursement for some or all of monies spent fraudulently against the victim’s account. Banks, too, will typically investigate a question of fraud and may return the full amount to the account holder.

However, complex crimes or those that involve large chunks of money at a time can be more difficult to unravel.

For instance, a mortgage of $400,000 can’t simply be dismissed because the victim claims fraud; it must be proven in court (hence, the legal fees) and involve investigations of each step of the process (another legal matter).

And there have even been cases where innocent individuals were arrested due to another’s misdeeds in their name, another issue that could be costly, as well as emotionally devastating, to overturn in the court of law.

Out of Time

But perhaps the single most frequently cited reason for purchasing protection is the time and effort it can take to resolve identity theft issues on one’s own.

A recent FTC survey showed that the average ID theft cost the victim only $550 to resolve. However, it also involved a whopping 116 hours. That time was spent laboriously obtaining and copying documents, including police reports; travel; court dates and copying and forwarding court records.

And that’s on top of the time already routinely spent going over one’s accounts transaction by transaction at least monthly, checking utilities and medical records against the possibility of fraud, and sorting through internet search results (a service certain ID protection companies, such as TrustedID, offer) to see whether one’s name may be being misused during the prevention process—which, though an enormous step toward protection, can still sometimes fail.

Steps to Take

If you’ve decided to work independently to protect your own credit, do your homework. Find out how others have been successful—and where they’ve failed. Read as many articles as possible on ID and credit protection as you can and put together a solid plan that includes specific times during the month that you will gather receipts and double check transactions (write these on a calendar or have them pop up as reminders on your computer).

You’ll also want to be certain to order credit reports annually (these are free once a year) and immediately investigate any suspicious activity. Don’t forget to also check into any alternate names you may have or have had in the past (for example, a “Jr.” suffix or a maiden name or an Americanization of an ethnic name).

If you opt for a monthly or annual fee credit monitoring service, look for reasonable rates. Be absolutely certain of what services the program offers and what additional measures are in place, such as customer service and legal help.

Find out in advance how and when credit reports are requested by the monitoring service (since you’re entitled to only one a year from each reporting company, if the service has already requested one, the next you order will no longer be free).

Also be wary of free trials; read the fine print. Free trials can be fine, but not every credit monitoring service is reputable, and the CFA report notes that in the wake of rising ID theft reports, more and more such programs are popping up. Check the service’s history: how long has it been in business? What is its track record for prevention?

The right credit monitoring service is only as good as its own reputation—but the right pick can save you time, money and headaches. Remember, no ID protection company can offer an absolute guarantee that you’ll never become a victim, nor can your own efforts, no matter how painstaking, offer a similar guarantee. But you can significantly lower your chances of becoming a victim with the right steps. Start now…and be safer tomorrow.

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And an occasional search on the internet to look for deliberate misuse of overuse of his name wouldn’t have hurt, either.

But the thought of taking such standard precautions never crossed LeGette’s mind.

And it’s not because he’s irresponsible or forgetful. It’s because Jake LeGette is only 11 years old.

Shocking News

When the enterprising Miami, FL preteen attempted to open a bank account as a depository for his chore earnings, he was surprised to find that credit had already been opened in his name—and misused badly enough that he was denied an account of his own..

Although he isn’t yet in high school, LeGette’s credit record is filled to overflowing with expenditures…and his mother Lori can only hope she’ll be able to clear his record so he can start fresh once he is old enough to apply for credit. In the meantime, she’s placed a freeze on his Social Security number so that no one else can use it.

Mom Fights to Clear Son’s Name

Lori LeGette was as shocked as anyone to hear the news that her son was a victim of ID fraud. Nevertheless, she went right to work attempting to clear up the messy matter. Lori claims her job as a police officer hasn’t helped much so far in fixing the problem.

According to ABC News, the bank told Jake LeGette that someone had used his Social Security number in order to open—and use—credit.

Lori LeGette told ABC News that a Florida-based woman had used Jake’s identity to purchase, among other things, a staggering nine vehicles in only four years.

The Implications for the LeGettes—and For Your Child

Why wasn’t fraud suspected due to the unusual number of expenditures in a short period of time?

Frighteningly, banks, car dealers and other companies and institutions may not have anywhere near the “lookout” we imagine they do for suspicious activity. Jake LeGette’s Social Security number was misused for four years before his own bank tried to put the brakes on by denying the real Jake an account.

Another point worth pondering is that had Jake not attempted to open a bank account at such a young age, he may not have known about the crimes and fraud against his name for a decade or even more from their beginning point.

In fact, stealing the identity of a child may be the next insidious step forward in the booming number of ID crimes that have increased year-on-year for close to a decade. Not only do children obviously have a clean credit slate, they also may have no knowledge of any wrongdoing for five years, ten years or even longer, giving the thief plenty of time to take the money and run.

And no one’s child is immune…not even the son of a police officer.

Using LifeLock to Protect Your Child

A few of the most forward-thinking ID protection and credit monitoring companies, such as Arizona-based LifeLock, have already recognized this frightening trend. LifeLock offers additional protection for children up to age 16 for just $25 a year.

LifeLock protects adults, too, taking a proactive approach in order to avoid the mess (and expense) of cleaning up credit that’s already been damaged by fraud.

And the risk to the user is low, since LifeLock also has a $1 million guarantee in the eventuality that a customer’s identity is breached. This means the company will spend up to $1 million to rectify the issues in any way possible, at no expense to the customer.

With ID fraud against children growing at a fast pace, it pays to protect your family. Do your homework on ID protection companies, including rates, guarantees/warranties and what’s covered under the service. The right credit monitoring company can make all the difference for you today…and for your child tomorrow.

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