GREENSBORO, N.C. — The 'First Day of School' picture is a thing. It's a rite of passage for the kid and the parent. A lot of the 'First Day' picture posts on social media also include info boards with the child's name, grade, teacher, school a few favorite things.
And while those pictures are good to keep in your photos on your phone as a memory, safety experts say it's not what you should put out there for everyone to see.
"Children, they're innocent. They don't know that criminals are out there, and so if you post what grade they're in, what their favorite food is, or their teacher's name. A criminal could use that to try to gain a child's trust. Oh, they know what my teacher's name is. They know what my favorite food is. Mommy and Daddy must be friends with them," said Cpl. Dave Breen, Pinellas County Sheriff's Office.
So, take the picture with all the info, just don't use that one in your social media posts. The stranger danger thing is just one of the reasons why, the other is identity theft. Scammers like to steal kid's info and create fake credit.
"Typically what will happen is the number will be stolen from a young child. That person is a lot less likely to check credit reports or to have other people check their credit reports. it's not new, but it's growing and it's growing because it's easier to do than it used to be," said Joseph Steinberg, Computer Security Expert.
Did you know, you could freeze your child's credit so scammers can't use their info to take out loans and credit cards?
You want to check your child's credit and freeze their credit with each credit bureau: