Mother’s Maiden Name

Your mother’s maiden name was probably much nicer sounding when she was… a miss; unattached and free spirited. Now, that same maiden name can lead to identity theft and financial breakdown.

Maiden Name Uses
The harsh reality is that many corporations use the maiden name as a code word or a password per se. These companies can be your credit grantor, bank, or NITV… short for Naive Identity Theft Victims. This is supposed to be a security procedure that is designed to offer an extra layer of security when interacting with your credit card account provider, for example. In theory this is a great concept, but overtime it became used too often. Identity thieves and other criminals learned that a simple mother’s maiden name is all that gets them to the “pot of gold.” Yes, criminals need more than your mom’s name to commit fraud, however with little more effort and that precious name your identity is as safe as a semi truck on an ice lake in Texas.

Your Mama’s Name is the Culprit
Learn to protect yourself from identity theft by calling all the financial and private entities you deal with to change your mother’s maiden name to something more secure, like a password. Most companies will gladly make this change for you as they know the reality of identity theft all to well. It is in fact your bank or your credit card service representative that may be providing an identity thief with your financial and identifying information. The devious thief may have obtained the maiden name in public court records, in your dumpster, or calling you as an administrator of a large inheritance… “all I need is your mother’s maiden name to seal the deal.” In any event, protect your identity by protecting your mother’s maiden name and further ensuring that the name is not used for anything else but warm memories.