New Law Championed by Commissioner Adam Putnam Enables Floridians to Protect Children from Identity Theft

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE	Contact: Erin Gillespie
September 24, 2014	(850) 617-7737 Twitter: @FDACSNews
New Law Championed by Commissioner Adam Putnam Enables Floridians to Protect Children from Identity Theft Florida Among First States to Extend Identity Theft Protection to Children          Tallahassee, FL – Florida parents can now sign up to freeze their child’s credit. A bill spearheaded by Commissioner of Agriculture Adam H. Putnam that will protect thousands of Florida children from identity theft went into effect this month. “More than 50,000 children in Florida fall victim to identity theft every year,” Commissioner Putnam said. “Now, we have the capability to prevent our kids from facing serious financial challenges in the future by protecting their identities.” More than 50,000 Florida children are victims to this exploitation each year, and more than $100 million is stolen every year from those whose identities are compromised. Fraudsters target children because their credit records are clean, and it is often years before the crime is detected. Previously, only adults were able to monitor or freeze their credit reports by calling one of the three credit monitoring agencies; there was no way to freeze a child’s credit report until this law went into effect. This law, introduced by Sen. Nancy Detert in the Senate and Rep. Heather Dawes Fitzenhagen in the House, allows parents and guardians to set up a credit record for their child and freeze it, protecting that child’s Social Security number and other personal information until the child is ready to use credit. The law would also apply to vulnerable adults who have a legal guardian. The credit reporting bureaus – Experian, Equifax and TransUnion – will charge a $10 fee to freeze a child’s credit.  If a child has already been the victim of identity theft, the fee is waived. To protect your child from identity theft, visit www.FreshFromFlorida.com/Protect YourChild. In addition, there are several other ways to safeguard your child’s identity: Keep birth certificates, Social Security cards and other sensitive documents in a secure place, such as a safe deposit box or home safe. Avoid carrying these documents with you. Be careful when disposing of documents containing personal information. Shred them before you throw them out. Avoid giving out your child’s Social Security number unless it is absolutely necessary. Ask why it is needed, how it will be protected, how it will be used, and if another form of identification would be acceptable. Use strong computer passwords. Never write them down or share them. Limit the information you share about yourself and your child on social networking sites. Use only secure websites when sharing financial information online. A lock icon on the status bar of your browser means your information will be safe when it is transmitted. If you think your child’s identity has been stolen, it’s important to take immediate action: Contact your local police department and report the crime. Keep a copy of the report to show to creditors and credit reporting agencies. Contact the three credit reporting agencies and request any information they might have on your child’s credit. Ask the credit reporting agencies to place a fraud alert on your child’s credit report. Contact every creditor listed on your child’s credit report. Explain that this is a case of child identity theft and ask to have all accounts and collection notices removed immediately from your child’s credit report. For more information about the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, visitwww.FreshFromFlorida.com.  ###

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