Identity Theft: Protect your Children

Protecting your child from identity theft is even simpler than protecting yourself. With a few basic precautions, your child can be assured that at 18, a clean credit slate will await.

1. Do not have the child's full name printed in the birth announcement. Make sure that the hospital announcement also does not include the middle names of the parents or the birthplace of either parent.

Identity thieves will often trawl newspapers for names of infants. Within three months of getting the name, they will apply for a replacement social security card for the child. Once they receive it, thieves are off to the proverbial races racking up debt in the child's name. Although this method proves more often than not difficult for the thieves, one success in fifty tries makes it worthwhile.

2. Do not copy your child's social security card or birth certificate. Never scan either of these documents and store them on your computer's hard drive. Worm thieves can get these documents while you surf the Internet.

If someone needs to see the card or the certificate, bring it in person. Do not allow them to copy the documents either. Most states have laws prohibiting the unauthorized copying of birth records. If an agency needs a copy, procure and present a certified copy from the Bureau of Vital Statistics in your state.

Federal law prohibits the copying of a Social Security card under any circumstance. Inform whomever believes that they need a copy that they may not have one.

3. Do not carry your child's identification in your wallet. Purse snatchers and pick pockets sell the identification to identity thieves. If you are going to a place where you will need your child's identification, transport it in the glove compartment and walk it inside in an envelope.

4. Store all of your child's identification in a fireproof box in your home. Home invasion theft of fireboxes is on a decline in the United States. To lower your risk, place the box in a kitchen or utility room cabinet where a thief is unlike to look for anything of value to steal.

5. Do not give out your child's Social Security number without knowing in advance: A. Why you must supply the number. B. How will the number be protected. C. When will the record of the number be destroyed. D. How many people will have access to the number. E. How will you be notified in the event of an information breach. If you feel that this is a legitimate need, and that they have answered your questions sufficiently, you may transmit the information verbally.

Be aware that health insurance companies prefer to have the social security number of the patient. Doctor's offices will ask for the information as well. Doctors collect this information to report non-payment only. You do not have to give your child's number to either. As the responsible party for the transaction, they may use yours to record any payment issues.

Most medical non-payment reporting is done on a patient basis. If the doctor's office has your child's Social Security number, the likelihood that your child's credit may suffer for any late payment you may make is more than tripled.

You have the ability to help secure your child from identity theft. Don't be afraid to exercise your rights.

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Prevent Online Identity Theft: The Basics

From phishing to pharming, the Internet is a hotbed rife with cyber-crime that nets more than drug trafficking: US$105,000,000,000. Try these easy steps to protect yourself from identity theft.

Personal Information
Never give your personal identity information online except to actual (flesh and blood, not virtual) friends.

If you trust your vendor, you may choose to share. Always opt out of optional mailings when you do, though. This information could pass to a third party without the vendor's knowledge or your consent.

Separate Email
Use separate email addresses for personal exchanges (like correspondence with actual friends) and shopping. Always use your non-personal email to sign up for services.

Public Sites
Avoid posting on news groups, social networks or other public sites. A public site is one with 100% free access and generally has no moderation.

Email Attachments
Do not open or run email attachments you did not expect to get or were not sent by a person you actually know.

Password Strength
Increase password security by using more than six characters, never using real words or common abbreviations and incorporating capital letters, numbers and allowable punctuation. A good password example is "R5jm2&Wq67g".

Never give your password to anyone or write it down.

Financial Information
Never give financial information in pop-up windows, instant messages or emails. Never click links inside them. Instead, go directly to the site with your browser to sign in or call the customer service telephone number provided by the legitimate site, not the missives, to verify any requests for information.

Payment Services
Use a third party payment service. The most popular and trusted are PayPal, Google Checkout and Amazon Payments. These companies hide financial information from vendors.

Secure Websites
Use secure websites with "https:" at the beginning of the URL. They will display a padlock icon in your web browser's frame. Be warned: The lock can be counterfeited.

Receiving Email
Know your sender's email address. Be very suspicious of generically addressed email and dubious addresses. Legitimate emails will contain your user name and the appropriate website identification. They will come from only one email address, which will be supplied to you by the website.

Save It
Back up all important files. Never store copies of identifying documents or personal identification on your hard drive.

Security Software
Install an anti-virus, anti-spyware program and network firewall for added protection, especially for all computers with operating systems prior to Microsoft Windows XP service pack 2. Update these programs regularly. This means every 25 times you access the Internet.

The best defense is a good offense. Keep your guard up. With cyber-crime, there is no such thing as "too careful". Parents may be the "anti-drug", but you are your own "anti-electronic identity theft device".

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Homeowner's Insurance and Identity Theft

Homeowner's insurance does not cover identity theft until you add coverage, an endorsement or rider to your policy.

According to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), nearly nine million Americans fall prey to identity theft each year. The average victim must spend $1,200 and 175 hours to undo the damage. The FTC promotes a program called "Deter. Detect. Defend." You must deter and detect, but you can use your homeowner's insurance to defend.

Identify theft homeowner's insurance can help if your identity is stolen by reimbursing you for costs you incur repairing the damage. Costs can include long distance telephone bills, mailing costs, pre-approved legal fees and lost wages. Most policies, however, do not cover against financial loss and only reimburse you for money you have already spent.

At $25 to $99, identity theft homeowner's insurance is not particularly expensive. Each policy varies by company. Read the exclusions to understand precisely what the policy will cover.

What do identity theft homeowner's insurance policies usually cover?

Reimbursable expenses: Policies will routinely cover expenses to repair the damage to your credit if your identity is stolen. It will reimburse for reapplication fees for denied loans, credit report fees, notary fees, document replacement costs, mailing costs and long distance telephone calls to credit bureaus, financial institutions and credit bureaus.

Attorneys fees: When it becomes necessary to hire an attorney, most policies require the legal fees to be pre-approved and provided by a contracted attorney. Know in advance if your policy covers attorney's fees. Some policies will not cover an attorney.

Lost wages: To recover from identity theft takes time. The agencies and companies you will contact will likely need to speak to you when you would normally be at work. Employers do not pay for you to take care of personal business. When possible, get a identity theft homeowner's insurance policy which will reimburse you for lost wages.

What does identity theft homeowner's insurance not cover?

Financial loss: Insurance companies expect the financial institutions and credit card companies to recover the financial losses when identity thieves incur fraudulent charges.

Late and over limit fees: Credit card companies are expected to remove these fees when presented with evidence of identity theft.

NSF charges: Banks are expected to remove non-sufficient funds charges from accounts which have been fraudulently opened or emptied.

Upfront expenses: You have to pay and provide receipts for your expenses without reimbursement until after your deductible is met. Insurance will not pay upfront for expenses.

What do I need to know?

Deductible: Choose a low deductible. The FTC reports in the majority of cases individuals spend less than $500 in covered expenses. Make sure the deductible is low.

Coverage: Find out what you will need to restore your credit. Make sure you have enough coverage for your expenses.

Overlap: Find out what losses are not covered. Your credit card provider and bank have coverages for certain thefts. You will not be reimbursed for your expenses if their insurance overs the loss.

Do I need identity theft homeowner's insurance?

While everyone is a potential identity theft victim, some are at higher risk. Those who make more than $150,000 per year, who make less than $15,000 and between 18 and 29 suffer the greatest losses from identity theft and are at the greatest risk.

High income earners have and use more credit, giving more opportunities to identity thieves. Low income earners are not able to afford to repair their credit, which prolongs the financial suffering. College students and young adults are least likely to take appropriate measures to protect their identities, such as shredding personal information and maintaining adequate online safeguards to protect their identities.

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What do I need to know about homeowners insurance?

Homeowner's insurance is a necessity and mandatory for most homeowners. It will automatically cover the home against fire, theft and most natural disasters, but there are important exceptions. Choose the correct coverage for homeowner's insurance to protect your largest investment.

Dwelling: Covering your actual home is the basic protection of homeowner's insurance. To adequately cover your dwelling, experts suggest a minimum of 125% of the cost of your home. Although your home may be worth $100,000, to rebuild it in the event of a fire is likely to cost more. This disparity is called "replacement cost".

Outbuildings: Do you have a detached garage or workshop? Unless specifically covered, homeowner's insurance does not consider outbuildings part of your dwelling. Without an outbuilding rider, an exception or addition to your policy, these buildings and their contents will not be covered even if the dwelling is.

Personal Property: The rider for personal property is also called "content" insurance because it covers your personal belongings inside the insured home. While this covers furniture, clothing, sundries and household goods (like cookware), limitations apply which require additional riders. Computers, electronics, art, jewelry and home office equipment will have a coverage limit.

Liability and Family Liability: If someone else is hurt or their property lost or damaged because of a covered event, this homeowner's insurance feature covers the expenses you would legally be obligated to pay. You have a house fire, and the neighbor's car is damaged by the fire. This coverage will replace your neighbor's car, if you have sufficient coverage. It will not cover auto accidents.

Personal Medical: When someone has an accident on your property, you are liable for their medical expenses. Homeowner's insurance covers a portion of those expenses. Be certain to have enough personal medical coverage to pay for common accidents, like trips and falls. It does not cover medical expenses arising from an auto accident.

While the coverages above are standards choices when choosing homeowner's insurance, the following are not. These coverages are in addition to your policy.

Extended personal property: These riders will cover your belongings when you own more than the standard coverage amount. Consider buying additional coverage if you have an extended art collection, expensive jewelry, home theater system, designer kitchen, several computer systems or memorabilia collections, which cannot be replaced with the standard personal property coverage.

Business riders: Do you have a home office? Homeowner's insurance does not cover home offices without a rider. Protect your computer, fax machine and office equipment and supplies.

Portable electronics: This homeowner's insurance rider is offered by some insurers to cover items like cell phones, portable fax machines and laptop computers which you will take away from your home.

Identity theft: Identity theft threatens your ability to pay for your home. Homeowner's insurance companies recognize this. Identity theft protection covers losses through credit card fraud, unauthorized loans and other forms of identity theft.

Flood insurance: Floods are not covered by homeowner's insurance. Homes in flood plains often are not eligible for this rider. Homes off a flood plain are normally eligible against flash floods, water damage from broken public water sources and other floods. Check with your local zoning office and insurer to see if you qualify for flood insurance.

Once you've chosen coverage, get the correct deductible for your policy. You will have to spend the deductible amount if you have a claim. Choose a deductible you will be able to pay out of pocket.

Do shop around for rates. Companies vary on reputation, coverages, rates and exlusions. Read the policy before you sign to know exactly what is covered by your homeowner's insurance and what is not.

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Rural America copes with food prices

Kershaw, October 3 (One World) Rural America is making tough decisions in the face of rising food costs. Choices include where to buy, what and when to eat and whether to eat at all.

Known for homegrown vegetables and farmer's markets, rural towns like Kershaw, South Carolina, are returning to their farming roots. Independent Grocer's Association (IGA) Foodliner is changing the way it buys produce for it customers.

Rather than relying on regional corporate suppliers, the grocery store is buying produce locally to offer affordable foods. Foodliner's manager says, "We have to offer local produce to lower costs to keep from throwing away the food we cannot sell."

Luxury food items, like higher priced cuts of meat and seafood, are not selling as well as they did last year. On the other hand, less expensive alternatives are selling out. Canned tuna, potted meats and beans are selling faster than ever before. Residents are looking for cost effective alternatives to fresh meats.

He could not state how much the change in his sales can be credited to gas prices. "I know I am seeing some people who used to shop out of town. Now, they can't afford the gas to drive that far."

In the local newspaper, The Kershaw News-Era, ads for farm animals have doubled in the last three months. Breeders are advertising goats, chickens, pigs and cattle as a food source rather than as pets.

Turkey and poultry farm owners are answering local demand for immediate access to products. To cut shipping costs, farms are selling packaged poultry and eggs at the processing plants directly to the public.

Handmade signs line the residential roads advertising fresh fruits and vegetables for sale. Local residents allow anyone to stop and buy their home-grown wares. In the past, these foods would have been canned and given to friends and family.

Today, families are selling these foods to make ends meet. They cannot afford to give any away. Some gardeners gather on vacant corners of crossroads with ice chests filled with vegetables for sale. One lifelong seller says, "This used to be a hobby. Now, I need the money to put food on my own table."

Family Feed & Seed is seeing more sales this summer in seeds and nursery plants. The owner, Mark Rosengrant says, "When the plant is a dollar and one tomato is a dollar, no wonder everyone wants plants." Rosengrant says that he sees more new faces every week looking for a way to save money at the grocery store.

Kershaw Area Resource Exchange (KARE) has begun opening its doors three times per week to meet the community needs. The KARE food bank distributes three times more food stores than its previous high since opening its doors.

KARE director, Mike Hilton says, "With the rising costs of gas, energy and food, more families need our help to feed their children." Hilton says that families need monetary help because they are making choices to pay bills or buy food since they cannot afford to do both.

One KARE recipient says, "I need food for my kids. I paid the electric bill so they wouldn't turn it off. If I go hungry, that's one thing, but I have to feed my kids."

Another came on behalf of her 86 year old mother. "Mama can't keep the lights on, go to the doctor and buy food. At least [KARE] will give her some food."

The change in food spending is evident in the health changes of the community. At-risk senior citizens are being treated more often at Sentinel Health Partners for ailments like shingles, anemia and malnutrition. Influenza is expected to be a larger concern this year based on nutrition-related immune deficiencies.

Adult residents are losing weight. One of the clinic doctors says, "It is not a conscious decision for most of these folks. They simply don't have as much to eat."

Children are not growing at the same rate. The doctor attributes this to smaller portions at the dinner table. "It is hard to get parents to admit that their children are not getting enough to eat."

School cafeteria worker, speaking on condition of anonymity, says, "The children eat all their lunch no matter what we serve. Even the picky eaters are cleaning their plates." This could be considered a benefit: Children are receiving and eating a balanced meal at least once per day.

The elementary schools report that more children are eating breakfast at school. Parents have weighed the cost of school breakfast versus buying and preparing the food themselves. School breakfast is cheaper.

Area restaurants do not win the same battle. Fewer people are dining out. The average cost for a family of four to eat at a restaurant is $38.00. A well-budgeted, balanced meal for four at the grocery store is $13.00. In combination with homegrown foods, the same meal is as low as $7.00.

Rural America is choosing to shop smarter, grow its own food or do without it.

Author's note: Many people interviewed for this piece were unwilling to allow their names or quotes in print. Each described the strife over food prices and hunger as demoralizing, inhumane and shameful. Revealing publicly the inability to feed oneself is too great for most.

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