Back-to-School Checklists in California Should Include Your Kids’ Credit Reports

SAN JOSE, Calif. - July 30, 2015 - PRLog -- Children are more likely to have their personal information stolen by computer hackers than adults because they have a clean slate on which to build and many may not be aware of a breach for years. “Parents need to become better educated on the laws relating to children’s credit and the potential for identity theft.  The Federal Trade Commission web site has lots of information and tools relating to children’s credit reports,” says credit and identity theft expert Julie Macc.

According to Experian, as many as 24 million children are at risk for identity theft.  The web site of California Attorney General Kamala Harris says, “…because the crime can go undetected for years, often until the child applies for his or her first loan or credit card.”

Julie Macc advises parents to add an annual credit check with all three of the credit reporting bureaus, Equifax, Experian and TransUnion to your child’s back-to-school checklist.  Parents need to know how to obtain credit reports for their kids, how to detect the warning signs of fraud and how to repair the damage.  Parents also need to learn how they can ‘freeze’ a child’s social security number until age 18, advises Macc.

Stories about consumer information being stolen by hackers are all too common.  “Today, your kids are at greater risk, and you can solve the problem,” says Macc.  “Your Kids’  personal information lives in many places where it can be compromised, so take the steps necessary to identify and correct any problems, and prevent them in the future.”

Hackers may not use the child’s name and social security number for 6-12 months after the initial theft of the data.  The crooks can then use the information to obtain credit to buy merchandise or real estate, or even worse to use the identity as an alias for criminal pursuits.  The average family doesn’t really check to see if their child’s credit has been used and children typically do not start using their social security numbers until they go out to get a summer job, or for some it’s after high school, or if denied when attempting to open their first checking account.  Meanwhile, “thieves exploit this statistic and may go undetected for years while running rampant with your child’s identity,” Macc warns.

“A bad credit report -- even erroneous credit or criminal information reported as a juvenile –that is tied to your child’s social security number can cause great financial cost for years to come, even the potential  to negatively impact opportunities for employment, renting an apartment or buying a car or house,” warns Macc.

Julie Macc helps individuals and small businesses with expert tips on how to repair credit scores, correcting the negative impacts associated with identity theft, and how to help prevent future  attacks on your good credit and good name.  She is an acclaimed credit scoring and identity theft expert and expert legal witness in hundreds of court cases involving credit for consumers and small businesses.  She is also a keynote speaker and author and workshop developer who has led hundreds of credit score training seminars and courses for mortgage, banking and real estate professionals, as well as courses for general consumer audiences.

Julie Macc’s latest series of books includes, DIY Credit Restoration: 10-Step Guide to a Better Credit Life - 2015 and the companion booklet, 10 Days to Fix Identity Theft.

FREE KINDLE OFFER:  Public Service Offering from August 17-21, 2015 at Amazon.com.  This is a totally free offer for the two-book set in Kindle digital format of Julie Macc’s books,  DIY Credit Restoration: 10-Step Guide to a Better Credit Life and the companion booklet  10 Days to Fix Identity Theft.  The offer will only last for 5 days; books also available www.juliemacc.com

Contact:

Julie Macc maintains offices at credit law firms in California and Nevada, and she operates  JMacc Credit Consulting in Sparks, Nevada. http://www.juliemacc.com. Email: Julie@JulieMacc.com

1-775-544-6160 or 650-867-5936

Free Kindle Link:  http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B010KL917G?*Version*=1&*entries*=0