K-ID-napped

Identity theft is on the increase, according to the Federal Trade Commission, and ever-enterprising identity thieves are spreading their range, finding new fields to sow and new victims to reap. Some of those victims are very new: infants and children. "It's one of the ID theft areas that's growing," says Lyn Chitow-Oakes, chief marketing officer for Trusted ID (www.trustedid.com), based in Redwood City, Calif., south of San Francisco, which offers ID protection services. Chitow-Oakes says the main reason for the increase "is that people are not thinking about it. And there are lots of ways of getting access to children's information. They're easy prey." Children are also easier to prey on because most now get a Social Security number at birth. Experts say you should guard that number as closely as you would protect your own. The Social Security Administration (www.ssa.gov/pubs/10023.html) says getting a Social Security number for a newborn is voluntary, "but it is a good idea." "If your child is born in the United States or is a U.S. citizen born abroad, you need a Social Security number to claim your child as a dependent on your income tax return," the agency Web site explains. "Your child may also need a number if you plan to open a bank account for the child, buy savings bonds for the child, obtain medical coverage for the child or apply for government services for the child."

To ease the process, parents can apply for a Social Security number for their baby when they apply for a birth certificate. "The state agency that issues birth certificates will share your child's information with us and we will mail the Social Security card to you," the Social Security Administration's Web site says.

The agency does recognize the potential for abuse.

"To verify a birth certificate, Social Security will contact the office that issued it. We do this verification to prevent people from using fraudulent birth records to obtain Social Security numbers to establish false identities."

However, the agency can't protect those numbers from people hovering over the cradles, figuratively speaking, waiting to steal them, Chitow-Oakes says.

Thieves use children's Social Security numbers the same way they do those of adults and even the recently deceased - primarily to open lines of credit or for employment fraud.

Chitow-Oakes says some thieves have even used the information in doctors' offices to acquire medical benefits under a false name. That's particularly dangerous where insurance companies place a cap on the dollar amount of benefits, she says. Imagine that the child needs expensive surgery and the parents discover that somebody has been exploiting the account. In many cases, medical records become commingled and trying to separate them becomes a nightmare, she adds.

UNDISCOVERED CRIME

What makes ID theft of children all the more insidious, she says, is that it can take years to uncover.

"If your child's identity is stolen, you may not find out for many years, maybe not until the child is 18 years old and looking to buy his first car or trying to take out a student loan," opening a bank account or applying for a first credit card.

Suddenly it turns up that somebody has rung up thousands of dollars of debt in the victim's name. And straightening out the record can take years.

The Associated Press recently reported that the San Diegobased Identity Theft Resource Center (www.idtheftcenter. org) is trying to help a 3-yearold whose Social Security number is being used by someone for employment purposes and "a 5-year-old whose identity is linked to driver's licenses, arrest warrants for drunken driving and a warrant for unpaid child support."

More than 34,000 reports of identity theft that came in to the Federal Trade Commission from 2005 to 2007 concerned children under age 18, the AP reports, noting that frequently, the thief is a parent or other relative.

That was the case for Randy Waldron Jr. of Revere, Mass., now 27, the AP reports.

Waldron's father allegedly began using his Social Security number in 1982. He didn't find out until 16 years later, when he was applying for college, that his father had run up a total of $22.5 million in debt in his son's name, including myriad accounts from unpaid utility bills to defaulted credit cards and back taxes. There was even an unpaid storage facility rental that had ballooned to a $10,000 debt.

Waldron says it has taken a decade and $30,000 in legal fees to clear his name, and "I am still hounded by credit card companies [and] collection agencies."

Gabe Holmstrom, a spokesman for Arkansas Attorney General Dustin McDaniel, says the attorney general's Consumer Protection Division has received "a couple [of] incidences" of identity theft of children, mostly the work of estranged parents. He said the office gets very few claims involving false credit histories established by outsiders or involving employment fraud.

The office's Web site, www. arkansasag.gov/identity_ theft_more_info.html, offers tips for protection against and how to report identity theft and links to other government agencies' identity theft sites.

UNGUARDED INFORMATION

Chitow-Oakes says ID thieves can also obtain data through school or community sports programs that ask parents for children's Social Security numbers and other identifying information.

Thieves also prey on older children online, as more and more children, teens and college-age adults frequent social networking sites or reveal identifying details in instant messages.

"They pose as people with like interests," she explains. "Maybe they claim to have a pet in common." It only takes a few seemingly innocent questions to obtain "all an identity thief needs."

To defend against online ID predators, she suggests making sure your profile is more private than public; don't share personal information; and, similarly to avoiding predators in the "real" world, don't talk to strangers.

At home, parents should make sure that children's personal information is stored safely, away from the possible prying eyes of caretakers or workers. Only share information that's absolutely necessary.

"The only real need for a Social Security number is to apply for a passport, for taxes or employment," she adds. "Your child normally isn't part of those activities."

For an added layer of protection, ask the three credit reporting agencies - Equifax, (888) 766-0008; Experian, (888) 397-3742; and TransUnion, (800) 680-7289 - for a copy of your child's credit report.

"If the child has a credit report, the child should not have a credit report," she says, because minors are unable to enter into contracts. It's pretty much proof-positive that somebody has stolen your child's identity.

Here are some other tips to protect your child's identity:

Shred all papers that contain account numbers or Social Security numbers before throwing them away.

Store your child's Social Security card in a safe place at home or in a safe-deposit box. Neither you nor your child should carry the card in a wallet.

If you receive a pre-approved credit application or similarly unusual offer in the mail in your child's name, investigate. Some banks may add a child's name to a mailing list if an account has been opened in his name; it could be a red flag that your child's identity has been compromised.

If you do discover a credit report in your child's name, ask to have all accounts, applications and collection notices removed and have a security freeze put on the file. It's free and it will remain on the file until you request it be removed or temporarily lifted.

Ask if adults who work with your child who might have access to sensitive information - such as coaches, scout leaders or other activity leaders - have had a background check. Also be careful when providing documents like birth certificates to activity leaders and ask to be notified if they will be shown to other people.

Child well-being slumps along with US economy: report

WASHINGTON (AFP) — The recession has put US children at greater risk of everything from obesity, as parents substitute cheap fast food for healthy meals; to poverty, as adults lose jobs; to crime and instability, a report has found.

"We are in a period where, at least in economic well-being, we may be back where we were in 1975," Ruby Takanishi, head of the Foundation for Child Development which funded the 2009 Child Well-Being Index, told reporters at the launch of the report Wednesday in Washington.

The index, which uses US government data to assess how American children are doing in areas ranging from health to community-connectedness, shows that the welfare of US children began to decline last year as the country plunged into recession, and projected it would continue its downward slide.

"As the impact of the current recession reverberates through parents' employment and income patterns in families, as people are forced to move, lose their houses or otherwise have severe economic restrictions on what they can do, there will be impacts on child well-being," said Kenneth Land, research coordinator for the index.

Comparing current data with information from past recessions, the report predicts that child well-being will continue to sour until at least 2010, even though, said Land, economists are projecting that the economy will round the corner this year.

"The decline in child well-being will be driven most directly by the decline of material well-being," Land said.

"The number and percentage of children living below the poverty line will go up. The percentage of children living with at least one parent employed full-time, year-round will decline as the impact of job loss is felt," he said.

Median family income was projected to decline as unemployment rises, and single-parent families headed by men would be the hardest hit because more jobs are being cut in sectors like construction, dominated by male workers, than those in which women traditionally work, such as health care and education.

The decrease in family economic well-being would be felt in the short term and long term by children.

"Extreme deprivation and poverty in early childhood ... and persistent poverty really matter in terms of cognitive outcomes and later life economic outcomes," said Greg Acs, a senior fellow at the Urban Institute's Income and Benefits Policy Center.

Another danger faced by American children enduring economic hardship was "recession obesity", said Land.

"There is a concern that parents will substitute fast food, high carbohydrate and high sugar-content food, for healthy food, and that this will cause an uptick in the rate of overweight children and adolescents," he said

Nearly 32 percent of US children are overweight and 16 percent are obese, according to a study published last year in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

With obesity bringing with it a higher risk of developing heart disease, high cholesterol and diabetes, a rise in the rate of obesity would mean a fall in children's overall health, the Index predicted.

To compile the Index, researchers at Duke University analyzed dozens of indicators to to assess how American children are faring today, compare their current situation with the past, and project what they might face in the future.

"Mortality rates for children aged 1-19 in past recessions have picked up a bit and so we anticipate this may occur again," Land said.

"In past recessions, we've seen an upturn in the rate of violent crime among adolescents ... We anticipate this will occur again," he said.

A growing number of youths aged 16 to 19 were found by the researchers to be neither working nor in school, leaving them particularly vulnerable to delinquency and crime, said Land.

A unique aspect of the current recession, the housing crisis, could also add to the disruption brought to American children's lives by the economic downturn.

"Residential mobility typically slows down in recessions, allowing kids to maintain social connections with friends, peers, family and their neighborhood.

"But because this recession started with the housing crisis, there's a lot more loss of homes and mobility will be less reduced," said Land.

Top five tips to help manage your family's health

(ARA) - As kids head to summer camp or back to school this fall, moms everywhere will be digging through their files searching for immunization records and other health information. Some will find exactly what they need with just a few flips through an organized file cabinet. But many busy moms will be sifting through piles, shoe boxes, or drawers full of papers trying to find the most recent health records.

Managing health information, making appointments, keeping track of medications, and monitoring self-care recommendations are just a few of the routine tasks of today's family health advocate, a role often played by mom. In addition to managing their kids' health and their own, many moms are also in charge of managing health matters for their spouse or partner, and sometimes an elderly parent or other relative.

Taking care of yourself and your family can be overwhelming at times. Mayo Clinic suggests five tips for managing your family's health:

1. Ask yourself a few questions.
Take a few minutes to sit down and figure out the questions you'll most likely be asked in the event of an emergency or in common healthcare situations. If your child's school nurse called today and asked for his health history, what details would you be able to provide? If your mother fell in the shower, would you have access to critical information needed by emergency caregivers?

2. Get organized.
It seems that health information is never where you need it, when you need it. An online tool like the Mayo Clinic Health Manager gives you the opportunity to store and update personal health records and those of your family members. This free and secure online application gives you a place to store medical information and receive real-time individualized health guidance and recommendations based on the expertise of the Mayo Clinic. You can give access to family members or your doctor and use the tool no matter where you receive medical care. The Mayo Clinic Health Manager isn't just a place to store and organize your health information, it helps you become more active and engaged in your healthcare.

3. Make doctor visits more efficient.
The time you spend with your doctor is typically brief, but valuable. Take advantage of your time by arriving to the appointment prepared. Before you go, write down any questions you have so you don't forget to ask them. Bring a list of any medications, vitamins and supplements you're taking.

"I truly appreciate when my patients are actively engaged and informed about their health," says Dr. Sidna Tulledge-Scheitel, a primary care physician. "The Mayo Clinic Health Manager can help patients share information more easily with their doctors and manage their own health better between office visits."

4. Know and use your history to be more proactive.
Use the Mayo Clinic Health Manager to track wellness visits and immunizations for you and your family, as well as to gain control of medication schedules and chronic condition symptoms. Sharing this information with your doctor could help determine future treatment.

5. Build your health assets.
Finances, retirement savings and home equity are all viewed as long-term personal management projects, but people don't often see their health the same way. Look at your health as a long-term investment and take steps to quickly address any issues while maintaining a healthy lifestyle.