O-mama - Opinionated Moms

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Did you know about a half a million children have their identities stolen every year?  Thieves use the credit identities of babies and children (i.e., their social security numbers) to get cash and take out loans.  Big loans.  Banks are not required to cross reference the information they are given, which makes it easy for "peter" to take out a loan from "paul" and "mary" has no idea.  Children are the perfect target for these thieves, because their credit reports are flawless and rarely checked by their parents, so the rip off can go undetected for years.  In essence, an identity thief can get loans on the ID of a 7 year old,  which might go unnoticed until that kid turns 18 and tries to get a student loan or a credit card.  When the teen’s credit is checked….WOWZA...tens of thousands of dollars of debt and a damaged credit record. That would make any baby cry...and the mommy and daddy, too! 

MOMism: ”Like taking candy from a baby.”  Our kids are vulnerable and innocent.  We protect them from all sorts of dangers and it's our job to make sure that even their identities are protected from bad guys.  To keep children safe from identity thieves, parents should check their children’s credit reports each year.  This is especially important if mail is coming to young children from credit card companies or anyone soliciting business from them.  They are kids, and should not be on anyone’s business “radar.”  So, if children are under 16, parents can check their child’s credit at Trans Union credit reporting bureau, instead of  bureaus like Equifax and Experian, which make it difficult or impossible to check a minor’s credit.  If children are older than 16, there is a free service called annualcreditreport.com.  MAMAs can also put a block on their child’s reports through any of these entities, so no one can use their children’s Social Security numbers and names to obtain credit.  Be proactive MAMAs, and keep your baby’s ID safe!

Speaking of which, in case you missed our MESSAGE PAD on the home page earlier this week, we found something kinda scary - the website Spokeo.com may have your personal information on it, which means it's out there!  For some of the people we looked up, there was even a photo of their home, as well as their address and their kids names posted. SUPER SCARY!!!  You can request to immediately have your information removed.  We did!!!