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DearMary:Ihavebeen following your column for years. My husband and I recently signed up for LifeLock based on your recom- mendations, and I thank you for that. My hus- band this past week has had numerous credit card offers taken out in his name, and the alerts have been coming through. Or- ders were also placed for several thousands of dol- lars for computers in his name. I believe at one time you recommended LifeLock (www.every- daycheapskate.com/life- lock) protection year for children in case some- one steals their informa- tion and tries to open ac- counts in their names be- cause you might not know their identity has been sto- len for a while since they are not applying for loans or credit cards yet. We have 6 children, and at $5 per month per child, that adds up to $360 an- nually just for the kids. I value your opinion and would like to know what you think. — Robyn Dear Robin: You re- member correctly. Protect- ing your children's iden- tities is vital, and for the reason you state. I've read case studies of young peo- ple applying for their first credit card or home mort- gage, being shocked to learn that someone has been using their SS num- ber to open lines of credit for many years — accounts that have gone to collec- tion, been written off and any number of horrific black marks. Before they even get started in life, their credit is ruined. Sure it is illegal, sure you can fight to get all of that off one's credit report. But can you even imag- ine the hassle? The stress, headaches and total night- mare such a thing would be? It kinda boggles my mind to even think about it. It can take up to seven years to be completely cleared. There is a way you can monitor your kids' credit for no cost, but it takes time and a high level of commitment. Here's the routine based on the fact that every per- son is entitled to one free credit report every 12 months from each of the big three credit bureaus, TransUnion, Experian and Equifax, provided you go through AnnualCreditRe- port.com. Three times each year (I'd spread them out so you are doing this every four months), go on- line (or by phone) and re- quest each of your kid's credit reports. Parents or legal guardians may re- quest a credit history for their minor children with documentation proving they are the parent or le- gal guardian. Because they're mi- nor children, the re- sponse should come back that there is not sufficient data to have established a credit file. Bingo! That is exactly the response you want to receive. Nothing. No information. If an inquiry ever does return any information at all, you'll know you have a problem. And you'll know this after the fact — the deed has been done. Now you need to move into ac- tion with the credit bu- reaus to reverse whatever it is, and then clean it up as you are able. With six kids you'll need to do this 18 times a year, rotating through all of the bureaus with each child. While this is an option, it's not a very good one, and here's why: This only allows you to deal with a problem after it has hap- pened. LifeLock is an iden- tity protection service that catches the problem before or at least while the thief is doing its mischief, as you are learning with your husband's experience. You may recall me tell- ing you about my staffer Max and his situation. Nearly a decade ago at age 17, Max's Social Security number was stolen. It has been used by hundreds if not thousands of people by now to illegally enter the U.S. with fake green cards. What a nightmare! The Social Security Ad- ministration will not issue Max a new number as they have determined it's not that serious of a problem. Max got LifeLock (www. everydaycheapskate.com/ lifelock) protection shortly after he joined us two years ago. In that time he has received dozens of calls and alerts from Life- Lock (by phone with a real, live person, by email alert and by text message) asking him if, for exam- ple, "Are you in a Citibank Branch right now open- ing a credit card account?" When he says, "No, it's not me!" Bam! Just like that, the bank is alerted, au- thorities are notified and Max averts yet another theft of his identity. Every day the news reveals more security breaches being discovered in this country. And it ap- pears that no one's iden- tity is sacred. They're go- ing after anyone and ev- eryone. While $360 a year may see high, when you think in terms of insur- ance to protect your chil- dren's futures, that's a pit- tance compared to what most of us pay for auto or homeowner insurance — coverage we wouldn't think of foregoing but hope we never need. Thanks for writing and letting me know how Life- Lock is working out for you. I wouldn't want to live without it myself. Thanks too for being such a loyal reader. MaryHuntisthefounder of www.DebtProofLiving. com, a personal finance member website. You can email her at mary@every- daycheapskate.com. EVERYDAYCHEAPSKATE Howtoprotectkidsfromidentitythe Only one-third of teens who are in an abusive re- lationship ever tell anyone about the abuse. Teens and young adults often lack the resources to receive help and the heal- ing they need. This month, Alternatives to Violence stands with those who have known the pain and isola- tion of an abusive relation- ship, and recommits to end- ing the cycle of violence that affects too many. Whether physical or emotional, dating violence can leave scars that last a lifetime. Teens who suf- fer abuse at the hands of a partner are more likely to struggle in school, develop depression or turn to drugs or alcohol. Victims are also at greater risk of experienc- ing the same patterns of vi- olence later in life. Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month pro- vides an excellent op- portunity for all to learn about preventing dating violence and show support for the numerous organi- zations and individuals who provide critical ad- vocacy for and assistance to victims. Join Alternatives to Vi- olence in getting out the message to initiate and support efforts in the com- munity and schools, and in your own families, to em- power young people to de- velop healthy relationships throughout their lives and to engage in activities that prevent and respond to teen dating violence. Alternatives to Violence will be hosting a Teen Dat- ing Violence Awareness pre- sentation at 3 p.m. Wednes- day, Feb. 18 at its business office, 1805 Walnut St. in Red Bluff. If you or someone you know is in an abusive rela- tionship, help is available. Locally, you can call Alter- natives to Violence through the 24-hour crisis line at 528-0226 or come by the of- fice 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. Contact is also avail- able through www.atvrb. org, Facebook or Twitter. Additional resources can be found by visiting www. LoveIsRespect.org. FEBRUARY Awareness,preventionofteendatingviolence Mary Hunt Passages Health Insur- ance Counseling & Advo- cacy Program, or HICAP, is presenting a Welcome to Medicare workshop for those turning 65 this year or younger adults who will be entitled to Medicare due to a disability. As people get closer to Medicare eligibility, there are several things to con- sider. In light of the fact that Medicare's coverage is much like employer group coverage it's important to know what questions to ask. How will my retiree plan work with my Medi- care? Can I delay enroll- ing into Medicare and not be penalized? Do I need a drug plan? Are there pro- grams available to lower my Medicare health and prescription costs? The workshop is sched- uled for 1-3 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 17 at the Red Bluff Community Center, 1500 S. Jackson St. The work- shop will also be offered 2-4 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 12 at Lakeside Pavilion, 2565 Lakeside Village in Chico. Registration is required by calling 898-6716. This free workshop is designed for boomers and others who will be new to Medi- care this year who want to understand how their Medicare benefits work. Family members or care- givers are also welcome to attend. People who are new to Medicare will be deluged with information from different insurance com- panies marketing their products. Ronda Kramer, program manager for Pas- sages HICAP warns sign- ing up with the wrong plan, or not doing anything may cost new Medicare re- cipients thousands of dol- lars, and they may not be able to make changes if enrollment deadlines are missed. For more informa- tion, call 1-800-434-0222. If your group or agency would like a workshop, call Katherine Tilman at 898-5927. HICAP does not sell or endorse any insurance products. Passages helps older adults and family caregivers with impor- tant services to empower them to remain confident in their ability to sustain and enjoy independent lives. For more informa- tion about Passages ser- vices go to www.passages- center.org. MEDICARE Workshop offered for baby boomers The community is in- vited to celebrate a ser- vice of music at the Pres- byterian Church of Red Bluff at 11 a.m. Sunday, Feb. 8. The church is hon- ored to have Allan Petker conducting a choral work- shop for the 20th consec- utive year. Members admire Petker not only for his talent, but for his gracious spirit. He is a very fine composer and arranger and is director of publications for Fred Bock Publishing Company, and has his own publishing company — Pavane Pub- lishing. Petker is a past presi- dent of the National As- sociation of Church Musi- cians. In England, he has been the American guest conductor and composer for the Cathedral Choir tour and the guest con- ductor for the National Association of Choirs. He serves as dean for two church music conferences at Lake Tahoe, Nevada. He is minister of music at the San Pedro Presbyterian Church. Petker's commissioned composition "Speak of Peace" premiered at the American Choral Directors Association 25th National Convention. His work "Canticle of St. Augustine" has been recorded by the London National Philhar- monic. The congregation of the Presbyterian Church hopes you will be able to join this musical and spir- itual celebration of faith. Public invited to special choral performance Sunday PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH COURTESYPHOTO Allen Petker will be conducting the choir Sunday at the Presbyterian Church of Red Bluff. Nine local wineries will offer wine and choc- olate tasting 4-7 p.m. Fri- day in downtown Oroville for a First Friday event sponsored by the Oroville Downtown Business As- sociation. Start at Coffee Diem, 1346 Myers St., to re- ceive an arm band showing age 21 or older, wine glass, map of the winery loca- tions and pay $10 per per- son to participate. Guests are allowed two free 1 oz. servings and chocolate at each loca- tion. Homemade choco- lates are provided by R.J.'s Lets Party & Candy Store. Call 533-8345 for infor- mation. 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