The media has done a great job highlighting identity theft. When I say identity theft, of course, they think about themselves and their bank account and their identity. No one seems to think about the under 18 crowd. Why is that? Because they don't have credit cards. Cyber criminals know this and they know we are not paying attention. The target group right now for cyber crime and identity theft is 5-18. When are they finding out about this? Typically, when they are applying for a loan for college or applying for a loan for a car. That's the first time, at that point in time, is so late, and what a shame. This is the point in their life that is supposed to be exciting and fresh and new and they are getting launched. They are getting held back by this anchor of somebody that stole their identity and ruined their credit. What can you do about this as a parent? Guess what? The credit reporting companies know this is going on. It makes more work for them too, and they don't want to see it happen. They've got some free tools that you can use to prevent this from happening to your kid. Number one, you could request a free credit report for your kids. A lot of people don't realize that. Number two, if you are starting to see marketing mailers come to your kids at your house, at a very alarming and frequent rate, there may be something going on there. You can actually ask for your child's credit to be frozen. Those are two really quick and easy tips. They are free and they are right at your fingertips. It's a great way to prevent your kid from being a victim of identity theft.