Child identity monitor

• US 7,975,299 B1
• Filed: 02/08/2008
• Issued: 07/05/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 04/05/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Consumerinfo.com Incorporated (Experian plc)
• Original Assignee: Consumerinfo.com Incorporated (Experian plc)
• Inventors: Yu, Nelson, Miranda, Arlene E., Balducci, Michael R., Burger, Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Brooks; Matthew L
• Assistant Examiner(s): CHUMPITAZ, BOB R
• Application Number:
  US12/028,665
• Time in Patent Office: 1,243 Days
• Field of Search: 705/35, 705/76, 705/42, 713/186, 726/22, 726/26, 455/410
• US Class Current: 726/22
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/02 involving a neutral party, e.g. certification authority, notary or trusted third party [TTP]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/108 Remote banking, e.g. home banking
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/382 insuring higher security of transaction
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3821 Electronic credentials
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/4014 Identity check for transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/00 Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/02 Banking, e.g. interest calculation or account maintenance credit or loans G06Q40/03

Abstract

An identity monitoring system notifies legal guardians of potentially fraudulent activity associated with their children'"'"'s identities. The monitoring system may determine if credit files for respective enrolled minors exist and monitor any credit files of the enrolled minors, such as via periodic requests for credit data and comparison of certain returned credit data, in order to determine if potentially fraudulent activity associated with the minor has occurred. The monitoring system provides periodic notifications, such as via email and/or Internet-accessible user interfaces, regarding potentially fraudulent use of their children'"'"'s identities. In one embodiment, the monitoring system also provides legal guardians with useful information and resources for how they can further protect the identity of their children.

Claims

1. A computerized method of monitoring unauthorized use of a child'"'"'s identity, the method comprising:

receiving personally identifying information associated with a child, the child information comprising one or more of;

a name, an address, a social security number, and a maiden name of the child'"'"'s mother;

receiving an electronic certification from a legal guardian of the child certifying that the legal guardian is the legal guardian of the child; and

periodically providing information to the legal guardian regarding the presence or absence of potentially fraudulent activity associated with the child, wherein the periodically providing comprises performing the following method on a periodic basis;

receiving credit information associated with the child;

determining if the credit information associated with the child indicates, in one or more of a public record, a tradeline, or a credit inquiry portion of the credit information, no activity associated with the child or the same activity that was also indicated in credit information previously received for the child, or new activity that was not indicated in credit information previously received for the child;

in response to determining that the credit information associated with the child indicates no activity associated with the child or the same activity that was also indicated in credit information previously received, notifying the legal guardian that no potentially fraudulent activity has been detected; and

in response to determining that the credit information associated with the child indicates new activity that was not indicated in credit information previously received for the child, notifying the legal guardian that potentially fraudulent activity has been detected;

wherein the method is performed by a computing system comprising one or more computing devices.

2. The computerized method of claim 1, wherein the credit information associated with the child comprises an indication that no credit file was located for the child or information contained in a credit file located for the child.

3. The computerized method of claim 1, wherein the credit information associated with the child is requested monthly and notifying the legal guardian comprises transmitting an email to the legal guardian.

4. The computerized method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving personally identifying information from the legal guardian for enrolling the legal guardian in one or more credit services, the legal guardian information comprising at least a name, an address and a social security number of the legal guardian;

wherein the credit services comprise a periodic credit monitoring service and a free credit report service.

5. The computerized method of claim 1, wherein the electronic certification comprises a checkbox on an Internet-accessible form that must be selected by the legal guardian in order to certify that the legal guardian is a legal guardian of the child.

6. The computerized method of claim 1, wherein the electronic certification comprises an electronic signature of the legal guardian.

7. A computerized method of monitoring credit activity associated with a minor, the method comprising:

receiving information from a legal guardian of a minor certifying that the legal guardian is a legal guardian of the minor;

periodically requesting a credit file associated with the minor; and

after each periodic request for the minor'"'"'s credit file, comparing the content of a newly received credit file with a previously received credit file for the minor and, in response to the comparing, notifying the legal guardian of potentially fraudulent activity if the newly received credit file comprises data indicating activity associated with the minor in one or more of a public record, tradeline, or credit inquiry portion that is different than data in the previously received credit file in the respective one or more portions,

wherein the method is performed by a computing system comprising one or more computing devices.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising notifying the legal guardian of potentially fraudulent activity if the newly received credit file comprises no data in one or more of the public record, tradeline, or credit inquiry portion and the previously received credit file comprises data indicating activity in the respective one or more portions.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the legal guardian receives no notification if the newly received credit file comprises the same content in the public record, tradeline, and credit inquiry portions as in the previously received credit file.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein a first plurality of the periodic requests return no credit file for the minor and when a credit file is first received in response to a periodic request, the legal guardian is notified of the return of the credit file associated with the minor.

11. A child fraud monitoring system comprising:

a computer processor configured to;

receive information from a legal guardian of a minor certifying that the legal guardian is a legal guardian of the minor;

periodically request a credit file associated with the minor;

after each periodic request for the minor'"'"'s credit file, compare the content of a newly received credit file with a previously received credit file for the minor and;

in response to the comparing, notify the legal guardian of potentially fraudulent activity if the newly received credit file comprises data indicating activity associated with the minor in one or more of a public record, tradeline, or credit inquiry portion that is different than data in the previously received credit file in the respective one or more portions.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the computer processor is further configured to notify the legal guardian of potentially fraudulent activity if the newly received credit file comprises no data in one or more of the public record, tradeline, or credit inquiry portion and the previously received credit file comprises data indicating activity in the respective one or more portions.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the legal guardian receives no notification if the newly received credit file comprises the same content in the public record, tradeline and credit inquiry portions as in the previously received credit file.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein a first plurality of the periodic requests return no credit file for the minor and when a credit file is first received in response to a periodic request, the legal guardian is notified of the return of the credit file associated with the minor.