LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--A study by the U.S. Census Bureau (2005) shows that August is the month with the highest number of births recorded in the United States. Unfortunately, in today’s economic climate, many parents are experiencing more than labor pains, because while still in the hospital, the identities of mother and child are being stolen.
The Federal Trade Commission released its national ID theft survey, which for the first time contains statistics specific to medical identity theft. According to the FTC report (p. 21), 3 percent of all identity theft victims in 2005 were victims of medical identity theft, which means of 8.3 million ID theft victims, approximately 250,000 people were victimized by medical identity theft in that year alone.
Jeff Dailey, Farmers President of Personal Lines explains, “A baby’s name can be used to open accounts by using the information the mother gives at the hospital, including her maiden name.”
It could take years before parents realize that their child’s identity has been used fraudulently. “Bank accounts can be discovered when a child first goes for a driver’s permit; or a child can be turned down when applying for college education loans or when opening a checking account,” Dailey notes. “There are some precautionary steps that parents can take to protect their children and themselves.”
Do not leave identity papers in your clothing that you hang up in your hospital room. Make sure you empty your pockets and put any identification information in a safe place.
Leave all of your credit cards at home in a safe, or somewhere you know will be safe.
Once your child has been given a social security number, make frequent checks of your child’s and your credit reports. Your child should have a clean credit record until 18 years of age.
Keep a look out for any solicitations for credit that your child might receive in the mail, or telephone calls offering credit cards, magazines, books or other offers.
“If you follow the precautions you should not have any ID problems after your stay in the hospital,” Dailey continued. “Since Identity Theft is the fastest growing crime in the world today, Farmers insurance has developed comprehensive identity theft coverage. Farmers Identity Shield not only helps you restore your identity after an identity fraud, but also provides protection for your children by alerting you when such activity begins. Those who have experienced its devastating effects know how hard it is to fix and how much time it takes,” he added.
Dailey explained that Identity Shield includes a 24/7 advocate to guide and assist victims. An expert also is on call to answer any questions policyholders may have about children or adult identity theft. “There is much more, including assistance in replacing lost, stolen or damaged identification documents and prevention tips,” Dailey said.
For more information on identity theft and how to prevent it, contact your local Farmers agent or visit www.Farmers.com
Farmers Group, Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Zurich Financial Services, an insurance-based financial services provider with a global network of subsidiaries and offices in North America and Europe as well as in Asia Pacific, Latin America and other markets. Farmers® is the nation's third-largest Personal Lines Property & Casualty insurance group. Property and casualty products are underwritten and issued by the Farmers Exchanges and their subsidiaries, which Farmers Group, Inc. manages but does not own. Headquartered in Los Angeles and doing business in 41 states, the Farmers insurers provide Homeowners, Auto, Business, Life insurance and financial services to more than 10 million households. For more information about Farmers, visit our Web site at www.farmers.com
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