How to Protect Your Children From Identity Theft

Identity theft is in some ways worse than other forms of fraud because it can go undetected for a long time. There were a total of 726,396 incidents of ID theft reported in the first three quarters of 2024, and this crime can happen to anyone, including your children.

You might think that you don’t have to worry about your kids becoming victims of identity theft because they’re too young and don’t have credit to steal, but you’d be wrong. Of those 726,396 identity theft incidents, 17,559 (2%) involved people under the age of 19. The key is your child’s Social Security number. Once the thief has it, he can create financial accounts using what is called ” synthetic identity theft .” combining information about your child with false data.

You can actively protect your children from online scams and other more obvious threats, but you also need to protect them from identity theft.

Check their credit report

Your first step is to check if your child already has a credit report—he shouldn’t do this unless you’ve opened an account for him or added him as an authorized user to one of your credit cards to verify his credit. . You can check with all three credit bureaus by printing out forms ( Equifax , Experian ) and mailing them, or filling out an online form ( TransUnion ).

If your child has a credit report and you haven’t taken steps to provide them with a financial history, they could be a victim of identity theft. You should freeze their credit immediately and then take the additional steps listed below to protect them and their future finances.

Consider freezing their credit

Even if your child doesn’t have a credit report, you should freeze their credit. Depending on their age, your children may not need to use their credit score for many years, so there’s no point in leaving them vulnerable to identity theft.

All three credit bureaus have mechanisms for parents and legal guardians to freeze a minor’s credit ( Equifax , Experian , TransUnion ), and if a credit report does not exist, they will create one and then freeze it. This involves printing out a form or writing a letter and mailing it to the bureau along with some copies (not originals) of supporting documentation showing that you are eligible to request the freeze, including your driver’s license or other government-issued identification. both your own birth certificate and the child’s birth certificate (or other proof that you have the legal right to request a freeze, such as a foster care certificate or court order), your and your child’s Social Security cards, and proof of address (utility). account, bank statement, etc.).

Sometimes minors can request such a freeze on their own: Experian accepts freeze requests from children 14 years of age and older, and TransUnion and Equifax accept requests from children 16 years of age and older.

Once the freeze is confirmed, you can leave it in place until your children are older or need to apply for a loan. You will receive information on how to unfreeze your credit reports once they are cleared. Keep this information in a safe place so you can easily access it when you need it.

What to do if your child has a fake credit report

If you discover that your child has a bad credit report, do three things right away:

• Request a copy of the report and contact each account listed on it to let them know that the account is fraudulent. Get written confirmation that the accounts were the result of identity theft and were closed.

• Freeze your child’s credit report as noted above.

• Report identity theft to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) at identitytheft.gov . The Federal Trade Commission will help you create a recovery plan and direct you to appropriate government resources—for example, if you need to report Social Security number misuse or need help determining that your child has not been involved in criminal activity as a result of identity theft .

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