TEMPE, AZ June 20, 2007 LifeLock, the industry leader in identity theft prevention, has reached a significant milestone with more than 22,000 children’s identities protected. The majority of news stories on identity theft include adult victims; however, children are also at risk because parents are less likely to monitor their credit report, ultimately making them a prime target.
The Federal Trade Commission reports that more than 11,000 identity theft complaints were filed in the calendar year 2005 for victims 18-years-old or younger. That number is nearly double the complaints for the same age group in 2003.
Parents are quickly coming to understand the vulnerability of their children’s identities, said Todd Davis, LifeLock CEO. This type of crime stealing a minor’s identity can go unnoticed for many years. As parents we do anything we can to keep our children safe every day, using everything from seatbelts to sunscreen, protecting their identities is just as important.
Children’s information can be obtained if a breach occurs at a pediatrician’s office, the dentist or even at a daycare facility. Once the identity is stolen, thieves can use it to apply for work or to open a line of credit which can go undetected for years.
As the leader in identity theft prevention, LifeLock is the only prevention company providing a solution for children 16 and under. LifeLock enables locks by setting and automatically renewing fraud alerts with the major credit bureaus, removing member names from pre-approved credit card offers and junk mail lists and guaranteeing the service with their industry-exclusive $1 million guarantee. In addition for children, LifeLock performs regular scrubbing of the credit bureaus to make sure no credit history exists.
My daughter is 12 and to think that someone could use her name, birth date and social security number to open a line of credit makes me very nervous, said LifeLock subscriber Jennifer Liewer. Now that we have signed up with LifeLock, I have greater peace of mind that I can keep her safe.
In July 2005, Utah’s Operation Protect the Children discovered an alarming crime spree involving illegal aliens claiming the identities of children 12 years-old and younger. In a joint investigation by the Utah Attorney General’s Office, the Office of Inspector General for the Social Security Administration and the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, investigators checked Utah state records and found nearly 1,800 social security numbers of children younger than 12 that may have been compromised.
In November 2006, LifeLock partnered with AmberAlert.com to further prevent the exploitation of children. The AMBER Alert Portal (www.AMBERAlert.com) allows law enforcement to directly activate and update AMBER Alerts. An alerting solution provided at no cost to state governments, the AMBER Alert Portal then disseminates the alerts to other local, state and federal government agencies, broadcasters and the public via cell phones, pagers, fax, email, other wireless devices and PCs.
LifeLock (www.lifelock.com) helps consumers to render their personal information useless to thieves, backing up its service with a million-dollar guarantee. Famous for its CEO giving out his Social Security Number in advertising and national press, the company is experiencing astounding growth. Located in a secure facility in Tempe, Arizona, LifeLock is a private company backed by Kleiner Perkins Caufield and Byers as well as Bessemer Venture Partners. The company recently won an American Business Award for the Best Radio Advertising Campaign and was a finalist for 10 other awards, including Best New Company and Best New Product/Service.
with the most advanced Identity Theft Protection system available!