Did you add identity theft protection to your back to school list? If you’re not adding identity theft protection, at least be sure and add a few identity theft protection tips to your supply list. Whether your children are 5 or heading off to college protecting their identity is an important subject.
Did you know you can protect your childs credit files while they are still living at home and under the age of 18? You most certainly can, and when they head off to college you can give them some useful tips and identity theft protection to help make sure they are protected. This post is sponsored by LifeLock, and it’s going to be a little long, becasue kids and identity theft protection are both subjects I am passionate about. I have seen what identity theft does to people, and it’s something that in many cases could have been avoided. By talking about it we are raising awareness, becasue in todays day and age if our social security numbers fall into the wrong hands, and we don’t have the protection we need it can be devastating, because recovering your credit isn’t easy. All opinions are 100% my own. For more information you can visit the LifeLock site.
Identity Theft Protection Tips For Parents & College Students
A new school year mean new pens, pencils, books, and another opportunity for criminals. If your child is heading off to 1st grade or college for their first year, it’s exciting and can be a little nerve-racking, but as parents we need to be sure we watch out for our younger children, and be sure our older children are aware of ways to keep themselves safe while they are away from home, which includes protecting their identity too.
Don’t Let Your College Student Be An Easy Target For Identity Theft
Think about it, college student are often an easy target for identity theft, because they often have a clean credit history, and they are likely inexperienced when it comes to locking personal information up. My sister carried her social security number in her cell phone for several years, until she learned she has been a victim of identity theft. My mom talked to her about protecting her personal information before she left too, but my sister didn’t think it would happen to her. Plus, if it’s not something you’re used to thinking about, its easy to forget when you move away from home.
My sister didn’t find out she had been a victim of identity theft until she had finished college, and went to purchase her first vehicle. Learning she had bad credit was devastating, before she was able to get her car she had to deal with fixing her credit. She was lucky, and it only took about 6 months to fix, but she had to wait 6 months to purchase the car she wanted. Honestly, it was sad, because the car was a reward to herself for finishing college, the down payment she had been money her family pitched in to help her get a jumpstart, but wasn’t able to purchase her car until she was able to get her credit fixed.
7 Ways College Students Can Protect Themselves From Identity Theft
Did you know college students from 18 to 24 face the highest risk of identity theft? They often share dorm rooms, or apartments where friends are coming in and out, and others can easily access their belongings. Which is why it’s important for us as parents to be sure we do everything we can to help them leave collect with the same clean credit history they have heading into college.
If you or your child is heading off to college here are a few ways college students can protect themselves from identity theft.
Shred old mail – Once you graduate high school, all the credit card offers come. Be sure to shred them before tossing them into the trash. If you don’t’ you are risking someone finding them, and possibly applying for a credit card in your name. We think this is what happened with my sister.
Phone – Keep your phone locked, especially if you are going to receive emails, store important information, or receive text messages from mom and dad with information.
Computer & other electronics – Be sure to use strong passwords on computers, online accounts and any other electronics where you might store personal information. The way I look at it – if something has my date of birth it deserves a strong password, which only I know. It’s possible there will be a lot of people in and out of your dorm room, or home. Even if you are not away at college, you should protect youself and your personal information.
Lock box – I suggest getting a fire-proof lockbox where they can easily store all their personal information – student loan papers, social security card, passports, and anything else with personal information.
Mail – drop your mail off at the Post Office, and not leaving it lying around to get picked up where someone can easily walk by and grab it.
Storing passwords – If you need to store passwords, don’t use your phone. Master Lock has an awesome website where you can store all your passwords, without leaving them lying around or putting them in you cell phone. It’s a a great way to keep your passwords locked up without risking others accessing them.
LifeLock – You might not want to use your credit while you are away at school, but chances are once you’re finished you’ll want a new car, a credit card or something that requires you to have your clean credit history. I am a huge believer in some form of identity theft production, becasue LifeLock monitors your credit when you’re not able to, or don’t want to.
My little sister has told me several times she wishes she would have had LifeLock while she was in college.
Should I Protect My Childs Credit?
I have been a member of LifeLock for years, and I mean years, before I even started blogging, I joined by visiting the LifeLock site, because working at the bank I witnesses the destruction identity theft can cause. Which is why I am so glad to have this opportunity to collaborate with them on this post, they are who I have recommended to my customers for years, and I feel confident recommending them to you, because they have protected my entire family for years!
LifeLock Junior Identity Theft Protection
Did you know you can protect your children’s untouched credit with LifeLock? Yes you can, and it’s totally worth it becasue you give your childs social security information out to their schools, daycare, doctors office, and plenty of other places. It’s sad, but you don’t know who is seeing your childs social security number. Shouldn’t it be watched over too?
Children have unmonitored credit, which means it’s like hitting the lottery for identity thieves. The thought of my children’s credit being ruined before they are old enough to purchase their own car scares me. Thankfully, with LifeLock Junior Identity Theft protection, you’ll be protecting your child’s clean credit files, from identity thieves with:
Credit File Detection
Did you know the existence of credit information could be a sign of identity theft? LifeLock monitors your child’s social security number to detect credit information.
Black Market Website Surveillance
Identity thieves illegally buy, sell, and trade personal information on the black market internet sites around the world. LifeLock patrols more than 10,000 criminal websites and will notify you if your child’s social security number is associated with personal identifying data it’s found.
File-Sharing Network Searches
Many children and young adults use peer-to-peer file sharing network to download music, pictures, and more. LifeLock actively searches these networks for exposure of your child’s personal information.
In addition, did you know LifeLock offers protection for your children with an adult membership! It is still backed by the $1 Million Total Service Guarantee! In addition, you get the same support 24 hours a day 7 days a week, 365 days a year. Get more information from the LifeLock site.
LifeLock $1 Million Guarantee
LifeLock not only has the $1 Million Guarantee, which means when you sign up for any LifeLock membership you are backed by their $1 Million Guarantee! LifeLock is confident in their ability to protect your identity, if you become a victim of identity theft while a member of LifeLock they will spend up to $1 Million to hire experts, lawyers, investigators, consultants and anyone else needed to recover your credit.
In addition, you will have access to their U.S. based Member Service agents anytime you need them. You can talk with an agent 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year; they are there for you when you need them. No waiting to get questions answered until the morning or even worse Monday! You need them, call them!
It feels good to know they are monitoring my identity all the time – 24/7/365! Once you complete your enrollment in LifeLock identity theft protection they begin monitoring for threats against your identity information. You can log on to your secure member portal anytime you choose to review any alerts, notifications, contact member services, and get awesome tips to help protect your identity.
Plus, with LifeLock Unlimited Plus Protection you get identity alerts, bank account takeover alerts, transaction monitoring, credit report and scores included, transaction monitoring and a lot more.
Before I send Catie off for her first year in college, I’m going to make sure I do everything I can and be sure and protect her identity by not only teaching her how to protect her identity, and will continue protect her credit files with LifeLock.
For more information on how LifeLock can help you and your family, visit the LifeLock site.
Oh, and before I forget now is the time to join if you have thought about it because you can save 10% on LifeLock when you use the code LifeLockSafety. To get started visit the LifeLock Site and be sure and enter the coupon code to save 10%.