The holiday’s bring out feelings of commonwealth, community, and goodwill.   For those of you joining us here at IDGuardian.com, we hope that you have benefited from the security tips and tactics discussed here every week.

But what about kids?  Does your child have a shredder in their room? (Considering the last hairdo your child performed on the cat or dog, probably not.) Does your child understand how dangerous Identity Theft works? Does your child grasp that their identity is just as susceptible as your own?

At IDGuardian, we wanted to share with you a few tips in keeping your kids protected this holiday season and well into the new year.

• Always ask why your child’s Social Security number or birth certificate is required for sport activities or medical information. If mandatory, ask how the information will be used and protected.
• Talk to your kids about the importance of their Identity. Teach them not to fill out forms online or offline to win a car, a cruise, or any other freebies in magazines, restaurants, etc.  More often than not, those are marketing ploys and their personal information will be shared across many marketing databases. Parents should carefully monitor all Internet activity and stay actively involved with who their kids are meeting online. They should also keep kids out of Internet chat rooms. Predators are just as real online as they are in public places.  All they need is an unsuspecting child to provide their name and home address, and they could track them down.
• Children under 18 do not have credit reports, but do check with the credit bureaus frequently to ensure no one has established a credit history in your minor’s name.
• Be a role model to your child. When you are asked for your phone number at the retail store,  tell the cashier you do not provide that information.  Always ask questions and let your child know that it is NOT okay to provide information to everyone that asks.

Happy Holidays from everyone here at IDGuardian.

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