This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services for IZEA. All opinions are 100% mine.

As adults, we understand the importance of having good credit. You need it to get a approved for a home, a car and even to get a loan for school. Unfortunately, children do not know or care what credit is, and that is what theives are counting on. Did you know that 50,000 children in the state of Florida have their identities stolen each year, and that over $100 million is stolen each year using these identities? It is never too early to start protecting your children from identity theft.

Why are children targeted by identity thieves? Easy, because their credit histories are spotless. Fortunately, a new Florida law has made it possible for parents to protect their children from this threat. Now, parents can contact the three credit reporting agencies Equifax, Experian and TransUnion, and set up credit reports for their children, then put a freeze on them. This successfully locks their credit history so that no fraudulent activity can occur.

You can visit www.FreshFromFlorida.com/ProtectYourChild to learn more about how your can Protect Your Child’s Identity, as well as find documents and sample letters that you can use when contacting the credit agencies. There is a one time fee of $10 per agency per child to put a freeze on their credit report, and this can be done by a parent for any child under the age of 16. This freeze goes away when the child is an adult and requests it, or when the parents themselves request it to be unfrozen.

Identity theft is one of the most difficult things to overcome. It is something that is better prevented than expereienced. Take advenatage of the new Florida law, and take the steps to protect your childrens' identities today.