This year research companies Javelin and Gartner did not agree with the FTC’s reported number of identity theft victims in the US during 2006. Gartner topped out at 15 million and Javelin claimed identity theft was diminishing. The reports made by consumer to the FTC were in between.

No matter what the illusive real number is, a few things come to mind these three expert groups might agree on in regard to factually measuring the victims and affects of the identity theft crisis:

The first is what is called a synthetic identity, where parts of your information such as your social security number is mixed with another persons name at an unrelated address.

Next might be medical identity and this occurs when someone sells a medical insurance cards so the purchaser can receive medical attention using your insurance coverage. Medical cards are openly sold on the black market for between 5 and 50 dollars.

Following but perhaps more concerning where us parents are concerned is the illegal alien’s use of citizen’s social security numbers. Newborns and children’s social security numbers are a hot item in these circles, in addition to the elderly and the deceased. The illegal alien use of children’s information is highlighted by the 2006 drum beat where the IRS found the social security number of a child that was used 742 times in 42 States. Fast forward to last month and the case in Utah where 2ok children’s records may have been compromised and once again, used by illegal aliens. Also last month a youngster from California had her ssn used by over 115 illegal workers in Florida.

Looks like parents have another child safety issue to be concerned about, in addition to keeping their own information private. Please take a few minutes to review the steps protecting your information on the Privacy Rights Clearing house web site (http://www.privacyrights.org/fs/fs17-it.htm) followed with tips to keep everyone’s information safe:

–Be vigilant. Don’t give away Social Security numbers unless you’re required to do so by an organization or person that can be held accountable. And if, for example, you are asked to provide a copy of a birth certificate or a Social Security number, ask for a written policy on how and for how long the information will be stored, and what the organizations information properly discarded.


– Keep all personal information in a safe place. Don’t carry anyone’s birth certificate or Social Security numbers or cards in your purse, wallet or backpack


– Just like teaching children how to safely cross the street and don’t talk to strangers, its important to talk with your children about protecting their information.


– To be sure your child’s personal information has not been compromised, order a free credit report and sign the whole family up for services that monitor credit as well as public record databases such as ID Watchdog (www.idwatchdog.com)

Raye Croghan is a founder of leading age and identity verification company, IDology, Inc. http://www.idology.com Now in a private consulting practice, Raye leans on more than 20 years experience in business development from healthcare, financial services, IT and eCommerce. Raye was responsible for the vision and product development for IDology, with dedicated focus on making the world and the internet a safe place for children. She is well-known in the identity verification and age verification industry and has held senior positions for products of Bank of America, US Bank, First Data Corporation and Gartner.

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