You are wise to be concerned about Identity Theft: Of the more than 255,000 identity theft complaints filed with the US Federal Trade Commission in 2005, 5 percent involved people under age 18 - up from 3 percent in 2003.

If you are a minor, you can ask your parent or guardian to help you be alert for potential signs of identity theft: A credit card arriving at your home that you didn't apply for, a call regarding a debt in your name that has nothing to do with you, being turned down for employment, or banking services. Be alert for any call or any mail you receive regarding an account or account application that you do not recognize. And,of course guard your social security number and contact info carefully. It may be stolen now and not used for many years, so keep your personal information private.

Although you can't absolutely prevent identity theft, here are some steps you can take to help protect yourself:

• Only give out your Social Security number when absolutely necessary - generally for tax purposes. For job applications, drivers licenses, and school identification, your SSN is not usually required. Ask adults who ask for this information why they need it and how they will protect it.
• Protect your cellphone, laptop, and PDA with a password. Don't store personal information on these electronic devices. Shred any papers with personal data before disposing of them.
• Create effective passwords. Ideally, they should contain upper- and lower-case letters, numbers, and special - Check your credit report with one of the three major credit agencies (Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion) at least once a year. By law, you are entitled to one free report yearly. You can find them online at www.annualcreditreport.com.
• If you're too young to have a credit card, or don't have one already, be alert to any unsolicited credit-card offers in the mail addressed to you. The only way you should receive them is if you have a credit history.
• Always check your bank and credit-card statements for any irregularities.
• Educate yourself about "phishing" and "pharming" e-mails; some are very sophisticated.

Also, it may be helpful for you to read the following article at consumeraffairs.com which addresses identity theft and children: http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/2006/10/clinton_id_theft.html

Thank you,

The CLC Help Center