A massive breach of customer data from toy manufacturer VTech is a timely reminder to guard your child’s personal information this holiday season.
According to a statement from the company, data on about 6.4 million children and about 4.9 million parents were affected worldwide. Information like children’s names and dates of birth and parents’ email addresses, passwords, and security questions were stolen and could be used by thieves to gain access to other accounts.
If you register toys, games, and other items received as gifts during the holidays, take steps to keep your children’s information safe.
To protect yourself and your family:
- Avoid sharing children’s personal information like their home address, phone number, and social security numbers.
- Don’t use the same password for more than one account, and change passwords periodically.
- When using social media, share information about yourself and your children carefully.
- Talk to your children about what information they should and should not share when setting up an account or using a toy or device that allows them to communicate with others.
- Consider getting a security freeze to protect your children’s credit from fraud. Under North Carolina law, parents will be able to request security freezes for their children beginning January 1, 2016.
- Let our Consumer Protection Division know about data breaches or potential identity thefts by calling 1-877-5-NO-SCAM or filing a complaint online at ncdoj.gov.