In 1992, Joseph D. Bonanno, of northeast Ohio, began using the baby’s name and Social Security number. He used the identity when he married and when his own two children were born. He used it when he established his furniture store, when he got his stockbroker’s license, both times he filed for bankruptcy and when he got his five DUIs.

And he was still using the baby’s name last Christmas when he roughed up his wife. He was arrested and fingerprinted that night, and that’s when his fraudulent identity began to unravel.

Bonanno stole Timothy Hyde’s identity to escape charges of felony larceny placed against him in Massachusetts, 1988.

No one knows exactly how many child ID theft victims there are, but a 2008 study by Javelin Strategy and Research found that, out of 500 children, 5% had credit reports, meaning someone used their information to apply for—and possibly receive—credit.

Children’s identities are especially vulnerable to ID thieves because the crime isn’t usually discovered until the victim has grown into a young adult denied a job, a lease or loan because the criminal has racked up years of bad debt using the child’s personal information.

LifeLock was the first identity theft protection company to provide services for children. Visit LifeLock.com for more information about how they can help protect you and your family.

“I believe this crime happens far more frequently than is reported, and parents need to take steps to ensure their child is protected,” said Attorney General McCollum. An estimated 500,000 children become identity theft victims every year.

Children under the age of five are the most likely victims of child identity theft, according to a recent study from the nonprofit organization, Identity Theft Resource Center. The younger children are especially appealing targets for identity thieves because there’s usually a longer delay in discovery.

Visit LifeLock.com. On the home page you’ll see thumbnail photos of identity theft victims, including one of Zach. Zach’s story is typical in that he didn’t discover the theft until he was denied a job and a student loan at age 17. That’s how he found learned that 10 years earlier someone bought a houseboat using his identity, leaving him $40,000 in debt. He spent another 10 years trying to resolve his legal and financial issues.

It’s because of stories like Zach’s that LifeLock provides special identity theft programs for children—and they were the first of the identity theft protection services to do it.

Visit LifeLock.com and find out why nearly 1.5 million Americans have chosen LifeLock to help protect their families from identity theft. Enroll in Life Lock’s award-winning programs using the LifeLock promo code Defense and you can help protect your child from identity theft for only $2.25 a month.

One of those new threats is child identity theft, and it’s a big one. Luckily, it’s an easy one to prevent, and protecting your child takes just a few minutes and costs less than a latte.

Here’s the scoop: Between 2005 and 2007 the Federal Trade Commission received 34,000 reports of child identity theft.

That’s just the tip of the iceberg, though. Most child identity theft cases go undiscovered and unreported for years. In fact, they’re usually not discovered until the kid’s applying for student loans, jobs, car loans or a lease on an apartment. By that time, the child’s credit is shot, he or she may have an arrest record and will probably begin adulthood many thousands of dollars in debt.

If you think maybe it’s just another scare tactic to manipulate you into buying something you don’t need, google “child identity theft” and read some of the horror stories: kids millions of dollars in debt, and 5-year olds with arrest warrants for drunk driving and outstanding child support payments.

Adults have been taught to check their credit reports annually, but who thinks to check the credit report of a child who just started daycare or kindergarten? It’s easy enough for the teacher, daycare worker or babysitter to access information necessary to commit ID theft; name, address, Social Security number – it’s all easily within reach.

Here’s the easy, inexpensive solution: enroll your child in LifeLock’s ID theft prevention. For about $2 a month, your child’s protected. When you’re done googling, go to LifeLock.com. Use the LifeLock promotion code Defense for that less-than-a-latte price. Another parenting responsibility covered, cheap and easy.