id theft fraud prevention

Rick Churchill asked:


According to the Federal Trade Commission, the most common types of identity theft are credit card fraud, utility fraud, bank and loan fraud, employment-related fraud, and government document or benefit fraud. While many people are award of credit card fraud as it is the number one crime committed and is also the easiest way a criminal can use your information, it is important to understand the other types of identity theft in order to protect yourself. It is the goal of this article to discuss remaining four types of identity theft and some ways to protect you from each method. While nobody is completely safe from identity theft, there are steps you can take to reduce the chance of becoming a victim.

Identity theft can extend to utility fraud which is currently rated the number two type of fraud in the United States and is actually higher then credit card fraud in certain states. Utility fraud is relatively easy to commit and is the practice of an identity thief using your personal information to obtain utility accounts such as gas, electric, water and sewer, cable, and other services. The thief can also setup telecommunication accounts such a home or cell phone and in many cases a thief needs only your name, address and phone number to commit utility fraud. About 15 percent of senior victims report that an identity thief obtained unauthorized telecommunications or utility equipment or services in their name. In order to avoid utility fraud it is imperative that you keep a tight rein on all of your personal information. Burn or shred any documents or mail with your personal information on it instead of putting it in the trash as many thieves are not above dumpster diving.

Bank and loan fraud is another identity theft crime that often affects the elderly as about 10 percent of all victims over age 60 reported fraud involving their checking or saving accounts and seven percent reported that an identity thief obtained a loan in their name. Bank fraud is sometimes perpetrated from the inside by a bank employee or manager who already has access to financial information and will sell it to the highest bidder. There are also thieves who already have some of your information and will disguise themselves as a bank official to try and get banking account numbers. Never give any information over the phone to somebody that claims that they work for a financial institution. Instead, ask for an appointment where you can meet with them in person at the bank. It is also important that you never click on an e-mail link in a message said to be from a financial institution asking for information to verify your account. A legitimate bank will never use this type of communication.

Employment fraud comes in two styles with the first type being where someone steals your social security number to get employment. With the ever increasing influx of illegal immigrants looking for work in the United States, the chance of somebody using your social security number to find gainful employment is on the rise. In fact, about two percent of victims over the age of 60 reported that an identity thief used their personal information for employment purposes. While you can reduce the possibility of this crime by keeping tight control of who has access to your social security number, there are no guarantees as many of these illegal immigrants will pick as social security number at random. While most people utilizing this method are simply people looking for work and not true identity thieves, the method is still illegal and can cause some negative effects for the victim.

The second type of employment fraud should be particularly concerning to most Americans as this is the practice of a thief obtaining employment in small businesses such as doctors offices, dentists, and banks to gain access to patient or customer records. Because it is the responsibility of a business to keep their records safe, there is very little an individual can do about this type of crime other then choose only well known and reputable businesses with a strong privacy policy.

Government fraud can occur in many ways including tactics such as applying for government benefits, unemployment insurance, financial aid, or even filing for bankruptcy while using somebody elses social security number. Some identity thieves will commit traffic violations or other crimes and then give a victims personal information when caught as it is easy to get falsified drivers licenses, state IDs, bank cards, and social security numbers if you know where to look. While government fraud is a major focus for the law enforcement groups and agencies in the United States and government fraud comes with a high penalty, too few criminals are ever caught. Once again it is up to you to protect your personal information to avoid this type of fraud.

As you can see, identity thieves are not limited to credit card fraud but can practice other techniques such as the four listed above. Even though credit card fraud, utility fraud, bank and loan fraud, employment-related fraud, and government document fraud are the top 5 methods that identity theft criminals utilize, it would be foolish to think that they are the only methods available. The methods that an enterprising thieve may employ is limited by only their imagination. Because identity theft has become so common a crime it is impossible to be completely safe but you can take steps to reduce the risk. The important thing is to take some type of action be it taking steps on your own or employing an identity theft program such as LifeLock.



Robin

AND369 asked:


Ok i would just buy them….. but my mom won’t let me casue there is SC in them…. but id know were to downlad them at

Patrick

Jack Wingate asked:


Identity Theft is a relatively new phenomenon.  Unfortunately, this new phenomenon is also highly misunderstood by the general public.  In Part One of our series on Identity Theft Protection, you learned some high level facts about Identity Theft and some various precautions you can take to guard your Identity.  While Part One gives some practical tips to reduce your exposure to Identity Theft, you must first gain a better understanding of what Identity Theft actually entails.

Identity Theft – It’s Not Just Financial

Unfortunately, most people believe Identity Theft is just about “Financial” Fraud.  The fact is, “Financial Fraud” accounts for approximately 30% – 40% of all Identity Theft.  While this form of ID Theft is the most obvious, it is also the easiest to discover and recover from.  Most financial institutions (Banks & Credit Card Providers) have systems in place to detect fraudulent activity on a person’s account.  These same institutions typically have “reimbursement” plans in place to return any funds taken from or charged against their customers’ accounts.  There are limitations and time constraints placed on these “reimbursements”, so it is imperative you read your financial institution’s policies as they relate to fraudulent activity.

While you know about Identity Theft with regard to Financial Fraud, you must also understand that the majority of Identity Theft involves theft for something other than Financial Fraud.  Let’s look at a break down of the Non-Financial Forms of Identity Theft:

Driver’s License Employment Government Medical (fastest growing segment)

Of course, you could potentially break down Identity Theft into many more segments and categories, for our purposes we will focus on these major categories.

Who Are The Victims?

According to a recent study, there were approximately 10 million victims of Identity Theft in 2008.  As should be expected, households with higher incomes were twice as likely to be victims of Identity Theft as low income households.  What may be unexpected is that those households considered to be “higher income” had household incomes of $70,000 or higher (that is only a man and wife making $35K each).

Discovery & Recovery

One of the disturbing facts about Identity Theft is that 38-48% of people discover the theft within three months and that approximately 18% of victims do not discover the theft until 4 or more YEARS have passed.  While identity thieves have access to advanced technology and systems to steal our identities, there are similar technologies and systems in place for the public to discover these thefts.  The problem is, the general public has been slow to adopt these strategies (the it won’t happen to me syndrome).

As disturbing as the previous statistics are, the most important statistics deal with the Recovery of one’s identity.  The average victim of Identity Theft (according to a 2004 study) spends 330 hours repairing the damage caused by a theft.  The vast majority of victims spend between 3 months to 1 year.  As we all know, time is precious.  The fact is the actual monetary loss resulting from an Identity Theft is only about $1,200.  The real cost of an Identity Theft is in the time spent recovering from a theft.  The math is simple, take your hourly wage rate and multiply by the time spent recovering your ID (example a person that make $30K per year earns approx $14.42 per hour / multiplied by 330 hours (average) equals $4,758).

Hopefully this article has given you an understanding about the types of Identity Theft as well as the cost(s) associated with a theft.  Combined with the knowledge gained in Part One of this series, you should now be prepared to determine if you need to look for “Insurance” and what “Insurance Plan” is best.







Ramon

Dewey Kearney asked:


You heard right. Identity Theft is THE fastest growing crime wave in America. Why? Because it’s easy and doesn’t require someone to break into your home to make off with the goods. They can get them right out of your trash!

According to the U.S. Postal Service, one reason is the carelessness of how many of us handle sensitive documents. One of the best investments you can make for your home or office is a paper shredder. There are people who make a living out of looking for a copy of someone’s un-shredded bank statement, credit card bill, tax return or any number of documents with sensitive account numbers!

This article is an attempt to educate you of those dangers and give you some genuine facts and a solution or two. If you have ever known someone who had their identity stolen then you know what we are about to tell you is true.

Last year alone, more than 9.9 million Americans were victims of identity theft, a five billion dollar crime wave!

The number of id theft victims and their total losses are probably much higher. It’s hard to pin down, because law enforcement agencies may classify id theft differently – it can involve credit card fraud, Internet fraud, or mail theft, among other crimes. It can even involve your credit report because when you order a copy of yours unless you request that only the last 4 digits be listed, the entire number is there just waiting to be stolen! I know this myself because I recently ordered my credit report be mailed to me and there was my entire social security number on EVERY page for all to see!

The FTC (Federal Trade Commission) reported that only four percent of victims cited stolen mail as the source of personal information. Even so, U.S. Postal Inspectors, charged with protecting the nation’s mail system from criminal misuse, are leaders in the fight against identity theft.

What Should I Do If I Am A Victim of Identity Theft?

According to the FTC, if you are a victim of identity theft there are four steps you should take as soon as possible, and keep a record with the details of your conversations and copies of all correspondence.

Place a fraud alert on your credit reports, and review your credit reports.

Fraud alerts can help prevent an identity thief from opening any more accounts in your name. But one is too many.

One of the best favors you can do for yourself is order LifeLock the guaranteed Identity Theft program. When we set our site up we decided to only recommend vendors that we had confidence in personally.

What sold us on LifeLock? The fact that their founder and CEO Todd Davis does their advertising and gives his Social Security number in all their ads. When I first heard this I figured it had to be an advertising ploy. After further checking them out both my daughter and I both signed up. They have lived up to everything they said and as a bonus we stopped getting those pre-approved credit card offers and the majority of our junk mail also stopped.

Here is what LifeLock says about themselves:

Stop Identity Theft. Guaranteed.

By now you’ve heard the stories about individuals whose identities have been stolen by identity thieves. They’re not pretty stories . . . people working for hundreds of hours over many years to get their lives back in order, even innocent individuals ending up in jail! We can protect against this ever happening to you. Guaranteed. Up to $1 million.

LifeLock doesn’t just report unauthorized use of your credit information, we prevent it by working with the credit bureaus to make sure you’re contacted to approve any credit transaction before it takes place. We also remove your name from pre-approved credit card offers and junk-mail lists, where identity theft often gets started.

We’re the leaders in proactive identity theft protection as you’ve probably seen in coverage in The Wall Street Journal and Chicago Tribune, and on MSNBC, CNN, and many other national news outlets. We’re so sure of our system our CEO confidently publishes his own Social Security number in all our ads.

Is this fraud alert something you can do yourself? Yes however since this is not a priority with most people it will get put off until it’s too late. Then you have to un-do what could have been prevented in the first place for approximately 33 cents a day. That’s pretty cheap insurance. This is an investment in protecting your peace of mind and your good name as well.

If you’ve already become the victim of id theft you can contact them for help on getting your good name back!

With the increase of identity theft, I wouldn’t put it off another day. Once your identity is compromised it can take months or years to get it fixed. Contact LifeLock today.



Mildred

Sam Gooch asked:


Identity theft is a definite threat to us all, effecting hundreds of people everyday across the globe. There are insurance policies that can be taken out in order to cover yourself against ID theft, but this may not be necessary, as there are a number of measures you can take to help you to avoid becoming a victim, most of which rely on simple common sense.

ID theft is a technique used by criminals allowing them to benefit financially through claiming they are you, for example taking out loans, applying for credit cards etc. all in your name.

One of the issues in tackling this type of fraud is that the police have limited resources, especially  as a large number of these criminals are not even in this country.

Doing all you can to avoid becoming a victim of ID theft is easier than you may think and being aware of the following points could save you a lot of grief.

1.      Ensure that all of your important documents and financial related documents are stored in a safe place out of sight. These include official documents such as passports and driving licence documents, as well as financial documents such as bank and credit card statements, bank account details, insurance documents etc.

2.      Frequently monitor your bank accounts and credit card statements to ensure there are no suspicious transactions. If possible, set up internet banking for all banking products as this will allow you to regularly check statements without having to wait for your monthly statements. Online banking is also very secure, with many banks now providing customers with card readers which generate pass codes that must be used when logging in to your account, or making a payment. If you do notice anything that looks suspicious, contact your bank or credit card provider immediately.

3.      Buy a paper shredder. You can pick one up from £5 to £30 and you can use it to shred any official documents that you don’t need to keep. This includes the obvious such as bank statements, but also any loan or credit card application forms, and even junk mail that has any of your details i.e. name, address, telephone number etc. Simply throwing these documents away could result in them falling into the wrong hands.

4.      Make sure you are aware of when your regular financial documents arrive, ensuring you are aware of anything out of the ordinary, for example you haven’t received your credit card bill for 7 weeks.

5.      At least once a year, apply for a copy of your credit file to check all current finance arrangements in your name, allowing you to spot anything unusual.

6.      Never give out sensitive information over the phone unless it was you that made the call or are 100% sure that the call is legitimate. For example, you receive a call from somebody claiming to be your bank asking for details such as your full name, DOB and Mother’s maiden name. These are types of information that fraudsters will want to get hold of, so be vigilant.

7.      Never trust emails claiming to be your bank or Credit Card company. Some of these emails can look extremely convincing and the irony is that many of them claim to require your details to help tackle fraud. You can usually spot these emails as the URL that you are required to click may appear to be the official site, but on closer inspection you will see it is in fact close, by hovering your cursor over this link. You will then be re-directed to a spoof page that looks genuine but is actually used to steal your login details.

8.      When moving house, subscribe The Royal Mail’s redirection service. This will ensure all mail addressed to you ends up with you.

9.      Check your bills as soon as they arrive in the post. If there’s anything suspicious contact your bank or Credit Card company immediately.

There are a few main techniques employed by criminals to carry out ID theft. These include:

Bin Diving

Going through your bins searching for bills or other documents containing your personal information.

Skimming

Used to steal credit/debit card numbers using a special storage device. This can be avoided by keeping your card on you or in view when making payments.



Phishing

Claiming to be a legitimate financial institution to gain your trust then push you to reveal your personal information.



Changing Your Address

Diverting your bills, statements and other sensitive documents to another address by filling out a change of address form.

Old-Fashioned Stealing

Stealing wallets; mail etc. to get enough information about you.

Pretexting

Used to obtain personal information from a number of sources such as financial institutions, telephone companies, and other sources by impersonating you

Once an identity thief has successfully acquired your personal information, they can use it for a number of different things.

Credit card fraud:

* A new credit card can be applied for in your name. The card can then be used to get credit and all unpaid bills will appear on your credit report, damaging your credit history.

* By changing your address, they could run up charges on your account but you will be unaware as you are not getting the bills. It could be some time before you notice anything unusual.

Phone or utilities fraud:

* A new phone or wireless account could be opened in your name, or even utility services like electricity, water, or satellite television.

Bank fraud:

* Counterfeit checks made with your details.

* Bank accounts opened in your name.

* Credit or debit card cloned allowing them to use your cards.

* A loan taken out in your name.



Government documents fraud:

* Used to get official ID cards such as a driving licence under your name but with their picture.

* Use of your details to get government benefits.

* Fraudulent tax return made using your information.

Other fraud:

* Qualify for a job using your personal information

* Rent a property in your name.

These days, most banks have intelligent anti-fraud systems that recognise any unusual activity on your card, for example you withdraw money from a cash point in the UK and later that day money is withdrawn from an ATM  in Canada.  

When taking out a credit card, you will probably find that you are offered some kind of anti-theft insurance to protect you against fraud. But the fact is that ID theft is heavily promoted and sometimes over exaggerated to help sell the product.

According to a spokesman from the UK’s fraud Prevention Service – the CIFAS, ID theft is still a relatively rare crime, but it is on the increase.

So as long as you’re cautious with who you give your personal information to, keeping it in a safe place, shred all unwanted documents containing your information, you should remain safe from fraud.



Lynn

John Goldman asked:


Identity theft is simple is robbing of ones identity including their name, telephone number, address, credit card info and almost all the personal information. In most of the cases these thieves would not just steal your identity but can also steal properties which are secured on the account of the victim. It can be a serious case and is known as fraud by the FTC.

Anyone can be a victim of this dangerous crime as there are no specific requirements for the theft to take place. Even the small business owners along with college students can be victims of id theft. However in case you have become a victim of id theft it is important that you instantly report identity theft.

Access the damage done

Firstly it is important you don’t panic as it can lead to disconnected actions and thoughts. Before you can do anything, firstly access all the damage being done. Find out why your identity might be stolen, the extend of damage and even the damage is not instantly apparent take a stock of the consequence.

Get ready a list of all the accounts you think are affected and their damages. Check your bank accounts and credits which is generally the first thing id thieves might do. You should also find out if there are any unauthorized transactions done to any of your accounts.

Place a fraud alert

The fraud alert would be a warning placed on all your credit reports so that it warns merchants that criminals might be using these funds fraudulently. The fraud alert must be activated with all the credit reporting agencies. You should also review your credit report by requesting a copy of your credit report when placing the fraud alert. In case you find any discrepancies then make sure you instantly report it to the agencies. Additionally make sure you also close all the accounts which you suspect are already compromised.

File complaint with the FTC

The Federal Trade Commission actually monitors and tracks all the ongoing id theft cases. It is through these cases which patterns are being recognized and the id theft is found. Therefore when you suspect of being an identity theft victim immediately report to the FTC by either calling them or by visiting their online help line website.

Report id theft to your local police department

Make sure you are prepared as it could be a frustrating experience. This is because all the police departments are not good at handling identity theft cases but they can help you with any further problem. You can just file your report at the police station who might further take action by working with the FTC and the credit reporting agencies. You can even provide them the same copy of id theft which you submitted at the FTC. However make sure you retain a copy of the police report with you as it can be one of the most helpful tools when you need to clean up your credit, financial and personal identification.  



Florence

M asked:


I am a medical transcriptionist that is self-employed. Is there any reason that I would NOT want to setup a tax id number? Everything I have read makes it look like it would be the best thing to do for record keeping purposes and to prevent identity theft. Is there any reason I should NOT?

Renee

Marc Gaines asked:


Modern technological innovations have given us the convenience to purchase everything from the comfort of our homes. With the help of the Internet and credit cards we can buy our desired products and services from anywhere in the world without physically visiting the showroom or even making the cash payment. However, along with adding comforts to our shopping and many other benefits online transactions though credit cards might also bring troubles that are enough to take away your peaceful sleep! One of the most prevalent problems that credit cards users often face is identity theft, which is a new mode to duping without the knowledge of the victim.

Identity theft means stealing personal information of a person and impersonating him or her for making frauds. Phishing and hacking are some of the common means used for identity thefts involving credit cards. Your credit card number or social security number can be misappropriated by unauthorized persons and misused to cheat banks by fraudulently getting loans, making online purchases, or taking money from the ATM and it is obvious that you will be held responsible for all the transactions being made from your account. IDTheftDefense provides you with A to Z information on identity thefts, the ways of detecting and preventing identity theft, credit reports and a lot more.

Credit monitoring or credit “file” monitoring is an easy, efficient and affordable way to identify theft detection. You can even prevent identity theft by detecting mistakes in your credit report and correct them using credit monitoring services. Credit report, also known as credit history in many countries, provides detailed records of how much a person or company has borrowed and repaid in the past including information on late payments and bankruptcy. A credit score represents your creditworthiness based on the information collected from your credit report.

You can successfully monitor your credit report by using efficient credit monitoring services:

1. First of all, you can check credit report and make relevant inquiries into your credit line.

2. By reviewing your credit report you can easily identify if any new account has been activated using your identity.

3. Address changes on credit information and collection activities in your name can be easily detected from credit reports or credit histories.

4. Your credit report will reflect delinquencies or any negative change made to your account as well as information on closed accounts.

Though credit monitoring is an important step towards ID theft defense, it cannot be used to prevent them. Awareness is the key to check identity thefts. As an informed individual you can easily detect identity thefts or take appropriate steps regarding any mistake in your credit report. Thus, you can lessen the amount of financial or credit rating damage which results from the false or negative activity on the report. Credit monitoring will keep you informed and definitely lower your risks in case of frauds resulting from identity thefts.

You should go for the credit monitoring scheme that suits your needs. Opting for monthly status reports through email is a viable option. IDTheftDefense recommends the 3-in-1 credit report which includes the three credit bureaus – Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion, as you may not come to know about all the credit problems if your monitoring plan covers only one credit bureau. If you want to protect yourself and your family members from identity theft, then it is essential for you to educate yourself about it by getting all information from the IDTheftDefense site.



Billy

Michael Brewer asked:


It all started with credit cards.

Remembering your PIN number in the check-out line was that industry’s Hail Mary Pass to cut losses from fraudulent purchases back in the mid-80s. Fingerprint and retinal scans were developed by the FBI about the same time to keep us out of secure areas and to keep our prying eyes off top-secret documents.

Now, fast forward about 20 or so years. Throw in a dismal economy, mix in thousands of suddenly uninsured Americans and you’ve got the makings of an apparently unforeseen black hole of security that could threaten the future of affordable healthcare and the efforts of Congress to reform it.

A woman in New York City faces up to seven years in prison on charges she recently forged more than 50 insurance claims that submitted them to her health insurance company for reimbursement. Meanwhile in Miami, a medical clinic for senior patients was raided after investigators discovered a front desk clerk sharing 1,100 Medicare IDs and patient information with her family members. One of her cousins allegedly made off with $2.8 million in fraudulent refunds for services never rendered.

“As more people are not getting the health care they need, we’re seeing an increasing incidence of medical identity fraud,” tells Michigan-based attorney Norbert Kugele to the New York Times. “Someone will show up at a hospital with someone else’s insurance information and will seek treatment under their name.”

Pulling a Fast One

It’s almost like the industry never saw it coming. Of course, Medicare fraud has been going on for years and the Feds have been battling it with great intensity, by their own admission, with mixed success. But security experts warn high profile health insurance fraud cases are only going to grow and there may be no end to creative tactics the perpetrators may use to bilk an already handicapped health system.

President Obama claims the healthcare reform bill being considered by Congress will provide a safety net to prevent illegal immigrants from obtaining health care under the “Public Option.” Just how this will happen is anybody’s guess. Many citizens who relocated to America without proper documentation have been receiving public benefits and/or employment opportunities for years without much scrutiny by business owners or infiltration by state and local governments — so much so that the Feds figure in fraud when making all kinds of budgetary projections to Congress.

Medical identity theft occurs when criminals obtain information such as a health insurance identification or Social Security number and use it to get health care or to obtain reimbursement from insurers and others for false claims. That means your medical history and health care records can include someone else’s information.

Aside from the obvious health concerns that go along with adopting someone else’s health profile, — imagine an ID thief at the doctor’s office, presenting a health insurance ID from a patient who, unbeknownst to the thief, is diabetic, allergic to certain medication or receiving chemotherapy — there are other huge expenses that could undercut any savings that the Obama administration projects would be saved by reform in its current form.

“Hospitals and insurance companies face enormous expenses when it comes to medical identity theft, as they are forced to write-off charges incurred by the thieves,” recently wrote Bankrate reporter Amy Crane. “But its victims find that the financial aspects of this type of identity theft are the easiest to deal with.”

What You Can Do

-  Your insurance card, your life. Security experts think we too often assume that our insurance card is no more valuable than our frequent shopper card or our gym membership. Protect your insurance information as you would your credit card, driver license or other personal asset.

 -  Give your medical records a check-up. Audit your health insurance and medical records annually, as you would your personal credit report. It’s not only o.k. to ask your doctor for your medical records, it’s protected under federal law to do so. If you see anything that look suspicious, call your insurance company right away.

 -  Go paperless. Not only is it environmentally friendly, opting into paperless health insurance benefit and billing statements is a good way to prevent your personal health information from slipping into the wrong hands.

 

 

 

 

 



Michael

Luis Marques asked:


THEFT PROTECTION

Top of Form

Bottom of Form

Identity theft has been defined as ‘the process of using someone else’s personal information for ones own personal gain’. Researchers have been studying identity theft closely since 2004 and release a yearly ‘findings’ report. Their 2009 study reveals that:

· Identity theft is on the rise, affecting almost 10 million victims in 2008 (a 22% increase from 2007)

· Victims are spending less money out of pocket to correct the damage from ID theft. The mean cost per victim is $500, and most victims pay nothing due to zero-liability fraud protection programs offered by their financial institutions.

· 71% of fraud happens within a week of stealing a victim’s personal data.

· Low-tech methods for stealing personal information are still the most popular for identity thieves. Stolen wallets and physical documents accounted for 43% of all identity theft, while online methods accounted for only 11%.

Anyone can become a victim of Identity Theft. It can take just seconds to occur and could take months or years to correct. So, what does all this data translate to for you and me? It means that we need to invest in an Identity Theft Protection program. Pre-Paid Legal\’s Identity Theft ShieldSM is an affordable solution. Your Identity Theft Protection membership will first provide an up-to-date Experian credit report. This report will be reviewed and analyzed to see if any suspicious has already occurred. From that point on your credit is monitored. You will be alerted if new activity is added to your credit report. If the activity is not initiated by you, it can point to identity theft.

Your coverage begins as soon as your application is completed. The application process takes just a few minutes to complete, and the Identity Theft Protection program really doesn’t cost that much. Especially considering what you are protecting. Everyone needs protection from identity theft. It doesn’t matter who you are, where you live or what your profession is, everyone is at risk for identity theft. Even your minor children are at risk for this devastating and financially debilitation crime. So PrePaid Legal.com even has program for minor children called SAFEGUARD For Minors.

To take your first step in protecting your future credit and to start the identity theft protection, visit the website www.prepaidlegal.com/info/luismarques. Then click on the Identity Theft Shield link. There you will find all the information you will need to determine which program is best suited for your Identity Theft Protection needs.

For more information on Identity Theft Protection, please visit www.prepaidlegal.com/info/luismarques

Jeremy