Identity Theft Can Affect Babies Too
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This afternoon I got a phone call. The caller said they were from a credit card company, and could she speak to my son?
“He’s two”, I said. “I’m his mom, can I help you?”
The lady on the phone said she really needed to speak to him in person.
“He’s a toddler. He’s two. Why do you need to talk to him?”
Anyway, it transpired that a credit card had been opened in my son’s name, and they were calling about some detail on the account. They had my son’s name, and an address that’s similar but not quite the same as ours. So the woman gave me the number of the credit card company’s ID theft department, and hung up.
I was wondering how on earth the person who opened the account managed to do so? I guess they must have gotten the information from the internet. I work from home, I’m on the internet for hours every day, I shop online, I get parenting news, resources and ideas from the internet.
So while I try to convince Large Credit Card Company that my toddler didn’t apply for a credit card - and neither did I, which is what they insinuated - I remind myself to be more careful with what I share on the internet.
Even with internet security, like a firewall, anti-spyware software, and anti-virus software, you can never be truly secure sharing data on the internet, as fraudsters continue to find new ways to get at our data.
So the best way to protect yourself is to share as little as possible, and only disclose personal information to trusted sites. I blogged abut sharing too much on forums and message boards a few months ago, and I guess I need to listen to my own advice! And I’m going to be more vigilant about what information about my son gets on the internet.
More information about protecting yourself and your family from identity theft, and what to do if you think you or your child has been targeted….
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