Protecting Your Child’s Identity

While it may be hard to believe, there are several thieves who prey on children for identity theft. Other times, family members might steal the child’s identity. Since it may be years before anyone notices the fraud, the thief can do a lot of damage to your child’s credit. While some parents may find out about the theft early on, some children don’t find out until they’re adults. No parent wants their child to have to deal with identity theft at any age. So if you want to protect your child, here are some things you should know.

There are different types of identity theft someone might use your child’s information for. The first and most common is financial identity theft. This is where the thief will use your child’s information to get credit. They may open store accounts or take advantage of online credit card offers. Since online credit issuers can’t see the person, they will have no idea the person is really a minor. Credit bureaus also usually don’t know the age of the person until they first apply for credit. Then they will get their age from the application.

Another type of identity theft is criminal. The thief might get a driver’s license in your child’s name and run up traffic tickets, or they might use the child’s information when committing a crime. Some illegal websites sell personal information to criminals and immigrants. There are services that can check websites for this type of information. Besides financial and criminal identity theft, the thief might use the information for medical purposes. They might try to get insurance in the child’s name or have tests run under the name.

There are several ways you or your child might find out about the theft. If the child is underage, you might be denied the ability to open a college fund or other savings account in your child’s name. The child may receive bills, collections, or other financial statements in the mail from accounts they have never opened. Or when your child goes to apply for a driver’s license, they may be denied. These are just a few of the things you should be suspicious about. Other parents have found out when the police show up at their home with a warrant for the child’s arrest. Obviously, the police will figure out the fraud pretty quickly in this case.

To keep these things from happening, there are a few preventative steps you can take as a parent. First of all, you should shred any paperwork that contains your child’s SSN instead of just throwing it away. Also, you shouldn’t carry your child’s Social Security card, insurance cards, or birth certificate with you unless you need them. Keep them locked in a secure place until you have to take them with you. Make sure that any person you give your child’s information to will take the proper precautions to keep it safe. This includes personnel at your child’s school and medical office.

There is nothing you can do to ensure that your child will never have to deal with identity theft. A big step towards minimizing the risk is to understand that it is a reality for children to be victims. As a parent, all you can do is stay alert for suspicious activity and keep your child’s information safe.