Security and database breaches are on the rise. From healthcare to game companies to trusted third-party security firms, a number of significant breaches were reported in 2011. This year alone millions of records were compromised at the hands of: Comodo, RSA, Epsilon, WordPress, Sony, Citibank, CyWorld, Tricare, Facebook, Steam; even the US Government Office of Personnel Management lost accountability of records containing the most personal information on US citizens. Unless you remain vigilant you may not even be aware that your personal information has been compromised.

Whether it happens at the hands of gross negligence, incompetence or some tragic accident, it’s important to remember that much of the security and database breaches involved minor children. Names, dates of birth, sex and social security account numbers of children were also included in some of the records that were lost. Sadly, child identify theft is more than a hypothetical crime. It is a very real crime with very real and long lasting negative effects. Without taking some simple precautionary measures the same can happen to your children.

The Most Important Piece of Information Needed to Steal Someone’s Identity

One of the most important pieces of information a thief needs to steal someone’s identify and send a life into a tailspin is a Social Security Account Number. A child’s SSN is a thief’s Coup-d’état, because misuse has an increased probability of going undetected for years.  The underlying reason why social security account numbers have become so valuable for stealing one’s identity—aside from the convenience—is that the database is astronomical in scope and is individually unique.  Armed with this personalized number, a thief can reap rewards and ruin the credit histories of unsuspecting victims in a seedy con-game that knows no boundaries.

Unfortunately, thieves don’t have to look very far for a new SSN. Virtually all local, state and federal agencies use it as a means of identification, as do all three major credit reporting agencies, and given the culpability that these agencies bare for known breaches, the magnitude of the threat are quite clear.  The broad-ranging scope of these bureaucracies is massive and for this single reason you must be on constant guard to protect your family’s SSNs from compromise.

Protect Your Children

In your role as a parent you are duty-bound to carefully read over forms that you prepare on behalf of your child. Make a well informed decision on whether or not the information requested is mandatory for the services you seek, or required when granting parental consent.  One strategy that often goes unchallenged is leaving the space blank.  If that doesn’t work, ask why the information is needed and how it is used, and equally important ask how it is protected. Don’t accept the first response as absolute. Continue with probing questions to the point that you exhaust all doubt before releasing your child’s personal data. Protect your child’s social security account number with the same ferocity that a momma grizzly protects her cubs from circling wolves.

Safeguard other bits of information that would be useful to an identify thief, as well.  Your child’s middle name, date and place of birth, address; any personal information should be closely held. Shred everything that has this information imprinted on it. While these may seem like tidbits, they are akin to the first cuts that ultimately produce a gem in the hands of someone out to steal your identity and cause costly damage to your credit, and dim plans for fostering a bright future for your child.

This is especially critical as it relates to your older children using social networking sites such as Facebook. It saddens me when I see kids (some parents are guilty of this as well) posting picture of themselves in their athletic or band uniform. Now another piece to an identity has been made known – what school the child attends. Furthermore, some well meaning parents allow their child to have a Facebook page “so long as you don’t use your full name.”  So instead of First and Last name being listed on the profile, only the child’s First and Middle names are used.  Again, another dangerous faux pas that provides yet another piece of personal information – the middle name of your minor child – which should be well protected.

Monitor Regularly

It’s important to regularly monitor your child’s Social Security Number. You can get free copies of your child’s credit report each year. There are also various companies that monitor this for you. They constantly scan for alerts and activity associated with your child’s name and or SSN. Most third party vendors charge a nominal monthly fee for this service. It is certainly worthwhile if you consider the potential damage identify theft can cause.

It’s also a wise idea to set up a Google news alert on your child’s name. That way you can keep tabs on what others may be saying about your child or what activity is surrounding that particular name. My kids get a kick out of it because we get email alerts on their names, and clearly it’s a different person with the same name. If there was something that appeared fishy or out of the norm, I could investigate it at the time it happens, rather than be surprised years later. It gives an added peace of mind knowing you’re not living with your head in the sand as to what possibility could be occurring with your child’s identity.

Finally, be on constant alert for unsolicited mail that arrives at your home addressed to your minor child.  This should immediately set off alarm bells.  You should have very serious concern about an airline sending information to your six year old about the benefits of its Frequent Flyer program, not to mention department store advertisements, magazine subscriptions and bulk item junk mail.  This is a clear indication that your child’s identify is being misused.

The motto “To Protect and Serve” may have been originally coined by law enforcement officials, but it is also applicable to all parents today as it relates to their child’s identity – to protect their precious nine digit social security number and serve as the front line of defense by regularly monitoring it for unscrupulous activity, and keeping the light on for a bright future.

About the Author:  Laurie Ayers is a mom, speaker, author and personal safety and crime prevention specialist who has given seminars in schools, organizations and corporations. Her message is inspiring, humorous and empowering, delivering the importance of making wise choices to protect ourselves and those we love.  She is an active contributor on the subjects of preventing abduction and crime avoidance.  She holds a Black Belt in Tae Kwon Do and is the co-founder of Defensive Countermeasures Institute. You can connect with Laurie at Ayers on the Side of Caution.

Parents need to be careful not to let their guard down or become distracted while traveling or attending public functions during the holiday season. Tim Kang, actor from the hit CBS show The Mentalist has partnered with the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) to help educate parents about what they should be telling their children to keep them safe while shopping and traveling this holiday season.

Parents need to talk with children about safety before heading out to a busy shopping mall or boarding a plane, train, or bus this holiday season. Crowds are greater this time of year and children may easily become separated from their parents, causing confusion and fear. If that should happen, parents need a plan and children should know what to do.

“Unfortunately many adults and children don’t know what to do if they lose each other in a public place or are faced with other unsafe situations,” said actor Tim Kang. “That’s why the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children is offering advice on how to remain safe and avoid panic and potential dangers.”

ALWAYS

• Keep children with you at all times while shopping.
• Accompany and supervise children in public facilities, including restrooms.
• Have a plan in case you become separated, including a pre-designated spot to meet.
• Teach children to look for people who can help, such as a uniformed security officer, salesperson or mother with children.
• Remind children to remain in the area where they become separated.

NEVER

• Dress children in clothing that displays their first or last names, prompting unwelcome attention from people looking for an opportunity to start a conversation with your child.
• Leave children in toy stores or public facilities expecting supervision from store personnel.
• Go shopping or attend a public event with a child if you feel you’re going to be distracted. Make other arrangements for child care ahead of time.
• Allow younger children to shop on their own to purchase surprise gifts for friends or family members.
• Drop off older children at a mall or public place without agreeing on a clear plan for picking them up, including: where, what time, and what to do in case of a change in plans.

If your child is flying or riding a train or bus alone this holiday season, NCMEC urges parents to remember the following travel safety tips:

• When you make reservations for your child, specify that the child will be traveling alone.
• Whenever possible, book a non-stop flight or direct route. Avoid booking the last flight of the day.
• Plan to visit the airport, train or bus terminal prior to departure. Let your child know what to expect, so the experience will not be so intimidating.
• In case of delay or cancellation, remain at the station or gate until the train, plane or bus departs.
• Make sure children travel with proper identification and parents or guardian contact information.
• Always have a back-up plan for the person or people meeting the plane at the destination, in case they are delayed.
• Encourage children not to become too friendly with other passengers or to reveal any personal information.

Really? Personalized apparel for small, innocent, helpless children? A pedophile or kidnapper’s dream! “Well hello little er, ah, … Suzy! Your mom asked me to pick you up because she had to work late.”  Or “Why yes, officer, this baby … I mean my baby, Royce, IS my son. Why? Did someone say otherwise?”

What a horribly, unsafe practice. I’m sure the store owner is a very sweet, kind person. She is clearly very talented in her knitting abilities.  She just grossly missed the personal safety dangers with this one.

Some may fail to see how dangerous it is to provide complete strangers vital information about your precious child. Both parents and manufacturers are so overtaken with the cuteness factor that they are missing the obvious – that they could be serving up their baby, toddler or youngster to child predators on a silver platter!

Ayers on the Side of Caution gives this one a Thumbs Down.

We have all heard media stories in the past about how women are killed just for their babies. What precautions should a pregnant woman take to protect herself from some nut job that might be watching her so that they can snatch a baby?

The first point to keep in mind is that these types of crimes are extremely rare when one considers the annual birth rate in the United States.  That being said, these crimes do occur and therefore it is important to understand this threat and take important steps to avoid becoming a statistic.

By the very intent of this type of crime, the period that an expectant mother is most vulnerable is the third-trimester. Since the perpetrator intends to masquerade the child as her own, she is not likely to put her assault plan into motion prior to this time since it is preferred that the birth mother carry the child close to full term.

The second most crucial timeframe is post-partum up until the newborn adds 10-15 pounds to its birth weight.  The reason for this is because as the child develops it becomes extremely difficult for the abductor to present the child as her own, particularly among family, friends and neighbors.

Taking the first point into consideration, practically all pre-planned criminal activities rely upon two critical components if there is to be any chance of success, namely; surprise and predictability. Speed is also important but generally less vital than the previous components. Your goal then is to deny criminals the element of surprise and to adopt patterns that make you less time and place predictable.

You will be able to defeat surprise by fine-tuning your suspicious nature and embracing the sixth sense that accompanies it.  Everyone has an example of feeling the hair at the nape of your neck stand-up.  Chances are if you can recall the exact instance when it last occurred, you were confronted with a situation that was abnormal to your personal level of comfort; that which looks, feels, tastes or smell foul usually is.  This is an example of sensual stimuli (6th sense) – recognize and embrace it for what it is and the role it plays in your personal safety and survival.

There is great value in reducing predictability.  Ninety-nine point nine percent of criminals do not want to be caught -period!  Many take painstaking steps to survey their intended target in an effort to expose vulnerabilities that given their limited capability are susceptible to exploitation.  What this really means is that the criminal needs to determine when and where she will strike. If you can avoid becoming predicable and stay steps ahead of anyone that targets you, you’ll make matters difficult, and the criminal will move on to survey another potential victim.

In the horrific event that you are involved in a vehicle accident and rendered unconscious who will speak for your young children? Include the following information: Child’s name, address, emergency contact (other than you), age, height, weight, child’s photo and medical release signature. Make a wallet sized card on the computer, laminate it and affix it to the seat with Velcro buttons.

This simple step could save time and possibly lives down the road.

Drive safely!