Welcome to

Florida could soon become the second state in the nation to protect kids from identity theft. As Matt Horn reports – state lawmakers and law enforcement are working together to end a potentially devastating crime.

While your child is in class – they may also be a victim of a new crime sweeping the nation.

“It’s been called the crime of the 21st century already,” said Duval County Sheriff, John Rutherford.

More than 10 thousand Florida kids fall victim to ID theft every year.

“It is particularly explosive growth in children because when you steal a child’s identity because you can manipulate their credit and benefit from it for a much longer period of time before it is discovered,” said Agricultural Commissioner Adam Putnam.

The law would give parents the ability to call one of three credit monitoring agencies and freeze their child’s credit.

The bill’s estimated to save the state more than 21-million dollars every year.

“Protect the valuable information about your child, protect their social security numbers, don’t let social media reveal too many aspects about their lives,” said Putnam.

Duval County Sheriff John Rutherford says it’s important to put more resources into fighting identity theft.

“Preventing the crime before it occurs, and protecting children before they are victimized,” said Rutherford.

Maryland was the first state to pass a similar law last year.