Identity Theft Resource Center and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children Releases Alert to Warn Parents about Child ID Kit Scams
San Diego, CA (PRWEB) June 28, 2016 -- Child ID Kits are recommended by law enforcement agencies and many child advocacy agencies, but including the wrong information in a Child ID Kit can create new vulnerabilities for a child’s identity.
Many kits are offered through non-profit organizations for free or for a very nominal charge to cover the costs of the kits. Kits offered by credible organizations provide instructions so parents can update the kits themselves and keep them in a secure location in their home. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children has a free kit available at http://www.missingkids.com/publications/ChildIDKit.
“An up-to-date photo of your child and a good description are crucial should your child ever go missing,” says Ju’Riese Colon, Executive Director, Outreach & Prevention, National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. Colon adds that, “A child ID kit is a simple yet effective tool help families easily store this information. For safety, we recommend that only a parent or guardian stores and has access to identifying information for their children.”
There are also for-profit companies that will provide this service. In this case, parents are often paying for convenience or expertise. This is a personal choice and parents should do their homework before engaging the services of a company. This is particularly important when dealing with very sensitive personal information. If a child’s school/daycare/afterschool program decide to use one of these third parties for Child ID Kit services, don’t assume that due diligence was done.
“It is important for parents to understand the best practices for retaining sensitive identifying information,” warns Eva Casey Velasquez, President/CEO of the Identity Theft Resource Center. She continues that the ITRC “wants to help parents avoid creating additional vulnerabilities when their sole intent is to further protect their child from harm.”
The two organizations have created a free fact sheet with information on this specific matter, including red flags for parents and guardians.
About the Identity Theft Resource Center
The Identity Theft Resource Center’s is a non-profit organization established to support victims of identity theft in resolving their cases, and to broaden public education and awareness in the understanding of identity theft, data breaches, cybersecurity, scams/fraud, and privacy issues.
ITRC’s expert Identity Theft Information Specialists are trained to provide one-on-one assistance for all types of identity theft. To speak with a Specialist, call 888-400-5530 or use the live chat feature on idtheftcenter.org.
ITRC Contact
Nikki Fiorentino
nikki(at)idtheftcenter(dot)org
858-500-2068
About the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children
The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children® opened in 1984 to serve as the nation’s clearinghouse on issues related to missing and sexually exploited children. Today NCMEC is authorized by Congress to perform 22 programs and services to assist law enforcement, families and the professionals who serve them. Contact NCMEC at 1-800-THE-LOST (1-800-843-5678) or http://www.missingkids.org.
NCMEC Contact
Media Line
media(at)ncmec(dot)org
703-837-6111
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Nikki Fiorentino, Identity Theft Resource Center, http://www.idtheftcenter.org, +1 6192439996, [email protected]
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