Many are becoming aware of the crime identity theft and the affect is has on one’s credit and their sense of security. But what about when it happens to a child? Children are often overlooked as targets of identity thieves because of their age. The fact is that credit bureaus do not track the age of the credit applicant, so once a social security number is issued, it can be stolen no matter what the age of the owner. Since parents and guardians do not normally check the credit history of their children, it is not until the child becomes of age to begin needing their credit that a problem is discovered.
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Thank you for becoming a reader of IDTheftNews.com. Our goal is to help stop the crime of identity theft from taking thousands of people as its victim. We are a big supporter of LifeLock identity theft protection services because of the valuable part it plays in protecting those who have not protected themselves from becoming a victim. We applaud the efforts of law enforcement officials to bring identity thieves to justice, however, it is not an easy job and they need our help.
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Identity theft is an ever increasing crime that takes in more and more victims each day. However, it may not sink in how prevalent a crime it is until you or someone you know are personally affected. This is a crime that has risen to #1, taking the spot of drug trafficking. The amount of time and effort it takes to clear up the damage that comes with such a crime can take up to two years. Forums and conferences are being held nationwide to help make citizens more aware of this crime and give tips on how to protect themselves.

We would like to remind our readers of taking the following precautions:
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Identity theft can happen in various different ways and everyone needs to be made aware of how it can happen so that they can protect themselves.

Various forms of identity theft include:
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Many students are outraged with the recently reported intrusion into a computer server at the University of Florida College of Dentistry. Over 344,000 records are at risk due to the unauthorized access to their birth date, social security number, name and address. Although the breach was discovered back on October 3rd, the incident is just recently being reported.
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LifeLock offers many services that help to prevent members from becoming victims of identity theft. Our website has reported several data breaches that have taken place during the course of 2008 that have affected thousands upon thousands of people. Unsuspecting people who might have done what they needed to personally protect their own identities from being stolen. Not carrying their social security cards with them, not carrying any more credit cards than what they will actually use, being sure to protect their pin numbers from being copied and more. Yet, when they are required to give out their social security number to get credit approval, the agency with whom their information is registered might unexpectedly become a victim of a data breach due to poor computer security measures or due to employees who are not careful when it comes to keeping this kind of information private.
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Texas A&M University seems to be having frequent problems with their computer system suffering security breaches. It is reported that for the fourth time in two years, the university has exposed social security numbers of current and former students.

One of their students did an internet search on the university web site and found information that included applicants who were admitted to the university in 2005. The information found included the social security number of the student who initiated the search.

The web site was shut down temporarily so the document could be removed.

“We take this very seriously and it is always disappointing when something like this happens,” A&M-Corpus Christi President Flavius Killebrew said Friday.

The university Executive Vice President of Finance and Administration advised that letters of all individuals affected were to be mailed out this past Monday. The time frame involved is not currently known and authorities are working to figure out how long the information was able to be viewed on the internet.

This is the most recent incident reported by the university. An earlier occurrence took place in September 2008 when a computer server was illegally accessed by an outside hacker, also exposing records that included student social security numbers.

A flash drive containing social security numbers of students was misplaced back in June of 2007 and to wrap up the list, a class roster of 49 students’ was misplaced that contained social security numbers. The use of social security numbers as identifiers was discontinued in the fall of 2007.

A university employee will be reprimanded for the availability of such numbers in the most recent incident. These were to be wiped off of the server’s archives.

AAA Tidewater Virginia will now be offering an additional service to their members: LifeLock identity theft protection services. For a discount, members of this AAA club will be able to get identity theft protection.

“Educating consumers about identity theft is a priority for us,” said LifeLock CEO Todd Davis. “We have partnered with more than a dozen AAA clubs now, and we are pleased to continue to work with an organization that takes a proactive approach in protecting their member’s identities.”
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A man who formerly worked for a car dealership in Plantation, FL, has pleaded guilty to mail fraud conspiracy. The 26 year old, Dayton Diaz, admitted to selling personal information of approximately 75 dealership customers for $9,000. The customers’ information sold included names, addresses and social security numbers.
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Even though we do not normally think of children as becoming victims of identity theft, it is best to be on the cautious side when it comes to their protection. Many children have become victims of identity theft without knowing until they begin their adult life in the financial world.
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