Baby registries – What you need to know to protect your baby and yourself online

Soon-to-be parents want to share the excitement and joy they’re feeling with those they know and love. In the connected world we live in, that sharing now often takes place online. For a safer experience, think through and apply a few key safety principles before posting information about an upcoming birth in baby registries such as BabiesRUs, Amazon Baby Registry, Target Baby Registry, and Walmart Baby Registry.

How criminals gather information from registries

Here is a simple walkthrough to show you how a criminal might collect information:

Note I've used Babies 'R' Us registry as the example because it exposes parents and babies to the most risk, primarily because It has more fields that can be filled out. That said, the problems illustrated below apply to any of the popular baby registry sites.

 
A search on “Johnson in WA” yielded hundreds of full names of both parents, the baby’s due date, and the like. 

In this example, I searched for “Johnson in WA”. The registry returned hundreds of names and the following useful information:

• The mother and father’s full names, mother’s maiden name, and the city and state where the family lives. Given this info and one lookup in an online phone directory, I found their address, phone numbers, cost of homes in their area (indicating their economic status), names of their neighbors, etc. in just 20 seconds. An additional click and I had a map with driving directions to their house.
• The baby’s due date tells anyone when the house will be most likely be empty—useful information for thieves who may want to steal the new baby equipment or other valuables. It also means that someone looking to steal a baby knows exactly which homes to watch, what parents to watch for genetic similarities, etc. They may then "meet" the parents at the hospital or clinic, or befriend them in some way to learn more about the family.
  When you click the parent’s registry number, you get even more detail (as shown below):

As you dig deeper you get such information as the baby’s gender, grandparents’ names, and of course, what gifts have been requested and bought.

• In this case, the grandmother’s name. Just one. Is she divorced? A widow? It probably means she lives alone. By the last name, we know it’s his mother listed, not hers. Since mother’s maiden name is a common password authentication question, this helps if the thief is after the father's identity. It is also likely that the grandmother’s home will be empty as she goes to see the new baby.
• Baby’s gender—it’s a girl! For someone looking to steal specific items or to steal a little girl, either for themselves or for resale, this is information is key.
• The items they’ve requested – and what’s been purchased. This not only helps thieves who are after specific items, but the prices of items also helps indicate the family’s economic bracket.

Some sites ask parents to reveal even more information as shown below in this Amazon baby registry.


Here, the parents divulged all four grandparent’s full names as well as the baby's name, gender, birth date, and even the method of birth.

Think about how enduring most of this information is: your names, your parent’s names, and the baby's birth date aren’t going to change, and your address may remain the same for a long time. All this information represents a valuable commodity that may be sold and resold many times to criminals. Predators now have a great deal of the information they need to commit several types of crime:

• Identity theft of parents and grandparents. If the parents give the baby’s name (as they often do), they may also help an identity thief begin the process of stealing the baby’s identity as well.
• Robbery
• Scams targeted to new parents and grandparents such as baby, toddler, or college saving scams.
• Baby theft. Fortunately the theft of a baby is extremely rare. However, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) is concerned enough about this issue that they have created material specifically instructing parents on how to avoid the theft of their baby from the hospital and at home. See Safety Tips for Expectant Parents: What Parents Need to Know. Information posted on a baby registry site frequently provides information that NCMEC recommends be masked—such as where to find a new-born, the gender, etc.

What you can do

Think about what information you are really sharing, and with whom you feel comfortable sharing it because it's naïve to believe that the only people looking at your information are friends and family.

Although site policies vary, I didn’t find safety advice on any baby registry to help you use them more cautiously. To compensate for this lack of information, I suggest the following:

• Always read the Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policies before you give any information. Get highlights from these policies for BabiesRUs  and the Amazon Baby Registry.
• Choose carefully what information you put in a registry. I haven’t found any baby sites that let you make your registry private or allow you to protect some of the information with a password. Remember that the less information you show, the less a criminal will learn.
• Only complete required fields; leave others blank. Unfortunately most sites require the mother's first and last name, city and state, and the baby’s due date. If this is more than you want to share, then consider a different registry site which requires fewer pieces of personally identifiable information. For example, the Amazon Baby Registry asks for, but does not require, grandparents’ names and other details. (If you are not comfortable with the information requirements of any baby registry, consider not using a registry at all.)
• Evaluate the information you're asked to reveal, and compare that with your comfort level in sharing it. For example, consider what information the requested gifts provide. Even if you don't reveal the baby's name or sex, the items you ask for—such as blue bedding—can give away the gender.
• Never post information online about anyone without their consent. Check with spouses, partners, grandparents, and other relatives before posting any information about them on the registry.
• Ask a friend to review your registry site for potential risks. When you’re caught up with joy and baby preparations, safety may not be at the top of your mind.
• Call the service shortly after the baby is born and request that your registry be removed. Some sites keep information visible for more than 18 months after the baby’s due date. And since most people create their registries several months before the baby is due, this information could be available for at least a couple of years.
  The arrival of a new baby is a hectic time, so make a note on your calendar to close the registry listing.Unfortunately, you have to call the hosting site because none of the registry sites let you do this online. However, with enough parents calling with this request, companies will automate this process to keep their support costs down.
• Contact the baby registry site you want to use and express your concerns. Highlight required fields that you feel should be optional and specify the missing safety features like restricted access passwords and useful safety tips.