Imagine learning that your ten-year-old child owns a home somewhere across the country or that your toddler owes thousands of dollars in income taxes for a job he or she has never held. If those scenarios seem unfathomable, they’re all too real for families whose children are victims of identity theft.
Because a child’s identity is pristine and often remains unchecked for more than a decade, it is uniquely desirable to identity thieves. Just as appealing to criminals is the fact that a Social Security number with a clean history can be attached to any name or date of birth.
Here are a few of the many medical data breaches where hackers have left their indelible mark: A December 2011 report by the Privacy Right Clearinghouse Sensitive estimated that three of the six largest data breaches in 2011 compromised 11 million patient records and healthcare organizations.
The “Deter, Detect and Defend” Program educates people and links to other organizations in both private and public sectors including law enforcement agencies, consumer groups, federal agencies and other trade associations to give consumers options on where to ask for help. The FTC identity theft program releases an informational kit for all organizations fighting identity theft that include a how-to booklet with instructions on educating consumers to aid organizations facilitate outreach programs. It also includes a brochure that these organizations can easily reproduce to give out to people who attend seminars and education sessions. To capture the level of damage identity theft can cause a person’s life, a 10-minute video of victims is also included in the program to explain to people how to fight this crime.
Using the FTC identity theft program can help other organizations hold seminars and distribute educational materials about fighting identity theft. Since education is the only key to avoiding this crime, consumers can now be aware on how to identify these problems and take immediate actions if ever they become a victim of identity theft.
Learn more about identity theft. Stop by Anna Grange’s site where you can find out all about credit identity theft and how to avoid becoming a victim.