October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month, and this year's theme "Secure Our World" really resonates with me as a parent.

It got me thinking: How can we, as families, contribute to a more secure digital world without getting lost in tech jargon or feeling overwhelmed?

After all, our world isn't just the globe we live on—it's the little universe we create in our homes, the digital spaces our kids explore, and the online interactions we have every day.

Securing our world starts right here, with us.

So, let's break down what cybersecurity actually means for us parents:

Cybersecurity is like putting a lock on your front door, but for your online life.

It's about protecting your family's personal information, devices, and online activities from bad people who might try to steal data or cause harm through the internet.

Remember that Social Security Administration data breach that made headlines recently?

It really got to me.

I’m used to having to protect my credit and identity online but now my kids were a target too?

It was a wake-up call that made me realize how important it is to protect this information early on.

So, I decided to take a proactive step to safeguard our family's identities.

And I want to share with you exactly what I did.

Trust me, this is worth the time to do it!

Freezing Credit

Here's how:

STEP 1 Gather Information For each family member, you'll need: Full name Date of birth Social Security number Current address (and previous addresses from the past two years)

STEP 2 Contact Each Credit Bureau You'll need to request a credit freeze from each of the three major credit bureaus: Equifax: www.equifax.com/personal/credit-report-services​ Experian: www.experian.com/freeze/center.html​ TransUnion: www.transunion.com/credit-freeze​

STEP 3 Request the Freeze For each bureau, look for an option like "Security Freeze" or "Credit Freeze" You'll need to create an account for *each child* Fill out the required information for each family member

STEP 4 Confirm and Save PINs After requesting the freeze, you'll receive a PIN or password Save these securely - you'll need them to lift the freeze in the future

STEP 5 Repeat for Each Bureau Make sure you've completed the process with all three credit bureaus for each family member.

Remember, this process might take some time, but the peace of mind is worth it.

Take breaks if needed, and don't hesitate to reach out to the Social Security Administration or credit bureaus if you have questions.

31 Vose Avenue #652, South Orange, NJ 07079
​Unsubscribe · Preferences​