Protect Your Child from Identity Theft
Published: 05/13/2011 by Home Alarm Directory
Do you know if your child has been a victim of identity theft? Sadly, many parents are unaware that their child’s identity has been stolen to purchase homes, receive loans or rack up debt which can ruin a child’s credit before they are even in kindergarten. It is estimated that over 500,000 children have been victims of identity theft and the numbers are increasing. To keep your child safe, it’s important to know how child identity theft occurs and what actions you can take to protect your child.
Thieves steal a child’s social security number usually by a random search or because a parent is careless. Currently, when a Social Security Number is assigned to a child, the first 3 numbers refer to the state the child was born and the last 4 digits refer to the approximate date of the child’s birth. The government is planning to make those numbers more randomized, but in the meantime, thieves can systematically and easily do a search and find a child’s social security number to steal. If the thief applies for a loan from a bank for example, the bank won’t check to see if the social security number matches up with the individual applying for the loan because it costs them money to do so. And since parents don’t run credit checks on their child, the identify theft can go undetected for years.
The other way thieves steal a child’s social security number is because parents are careless. Educational institutions are often targeted by thieves, so it is important that parents only give out their child’s SSN on a need to know basis and not just to anyone who asks for it. Parents should guard their child’s social security number just like cash.
To protect your child from identity theft, it’s important that you stay vigilant and be proactive. When your children are old enough to understand, teach them about identity theft and warn them about divulging personal information to people they don’t know online or on the phone. It’s also important that you keep your computer protected with firewall and virus protection so that hackers can’t steal personal information.
As tempting as it may be, don’t run a credit report on your child. By doing so, you are now establishing a credit report for your child which is an open invitation to thieves. If you want to check to see if your child has been a victim of identity theft, ask an identity protection service to scan credit report headers that search for the child's name among the credit reports. This type of search will give you the information you need without establishing a new credit record.
If you do become suspicious that your child has been a victim, immediately call social security to see if any income has been associated with your child’s SSN. If it has, this can be a warning sign that it is being used fraudently. Parents should also put a credit freeze on their child's records. You can also use a protection service such as FamilySecure by Experian which monitors for signs that a child’s identity has been compromised. By staying alert and keeping your child’s social security number secure, you can ensure that your child’s identity will be protected for years to come.
