My FICO logo $$$$$$$$$$$ 9876 5432 1234 5678 CREDIT CARD KELLY SMITH 11/26 My FICO logo
SCORE
Skip Navigation
  • Why FICO
  • How It Works
  • Pricing
  • Education
  • Community
  • Support
  • Member Dashboard
  • Log In Log Out
  • Start Plan
 
  • Why FICO
  • How It Works
  • Pricing
  •  
  • Education
    • Credit Education
    • Credit Scores
    • What Is a FICO Score?
    • FICO Scores vs Credit Scores
    • FICO Scores Versions
    • New FICO Scores
    • How Scores Are Calculated
    • Payment History
    • Amount of Debt
    • Length of Credit History
    • Credit Mix
    • New Credit
    • How to Improve Your Score
    • How to Build Credit
    • Credit Reports
    • What's in Your Report
    • Credit Bureaus
    • Inquiries
    • Errors on Your Report?
    • Blog
    • Calculators
    • Loan Savings
    • Vehicle Payments
    • How Much Can I Borrow?
    • Should I Consolidate My Credit Cards?
    • Know Your Rights
    • Identity Theft
    • FAQ
    • Glossary
  • Community
  • Support
  • Member Dashboard
  • Log In Log Out
  • Our Products
    • Ongoing Credit Monitoring Track your FICO® Score & identity
    • One-time Credit Reports Be prepared for important transactions
  • How Can We Help
    • Monitor Credit & Identity
    • Mortgages
    • Credit Cards
    • Auto Loans
  • Credit Education
  • Community
  • Support
  • Our Products
    • Ongoing Credit Monitoring Track your FICO® Score & identity
    • One-time Credit Reports Be prepared for important transactions
  • Credit Education
  • Credit Scores
    • What Is a FICO Score?
    • FICO Scores vs Credit Scores
    • FICO Score Versions
    • New FICO Scores
    • How Scores Are Calculated
    • Payment History
    • Amount of Debt
    • Length of Credit History
    • Credit Mix
    • New Credit
    • How to Improve Your Score
    • How to Build Credit
  • Credit Reports
    • What's in Your Report
    • Credit Bureaus
    • Inquiries
    • Errors on Your Report?
  • Blog
  • Calculators
    • Loan Savings
    • Vehicle Payments
    • How Much Can I Borrow?
    • Should I Consolidate My Credit Cards?
  • Know Your Rights
  • Identity Theft
  • FAQ
  • Glossary
View all Identity Theft articles

Child Identity Theft Isn't New. It's just getting worse.

December 12, 2017, by Rob Kaufman

Part 2 of 3 in our Identity Theft Blog Series for National Identity Theft Prevention and Awareness Month.

Have you checked your child's credit score lately ?

It used to be that adults were the only victims of identity theft. From going through their mail to "skimming" a debit card at an ATM, to stealing consumer data off the Internet, criminals have become adept at stealing adults' information and using it for their own gain. And now they're committing the same crime against children.

Over 1.5 million children have their identity stolen each year (50% under six years old), and the numbers appear to be rising. A primary reason is that technology has made it a simple task for thieves to find "dormant" Social Security Numbers belonging to children who have never used them. These numbers are then sold on the dark web to criminals who use them to establish phony accounts and run up huge debts in the child's name.

The potential result is that a child's credit history can be destroyed before he or she has a chance to build one. Child identity theft is difficult to detect because children don't pay attention to their Social Security Numbers (if they even know they have one) and many parents don't know that child identity theft exists. Sadly, this means it's possible that neither the child nor the parent, will discover the child's identity has been stolen until that child's first credit application as an adult has been denied.

Signs of Child Identity Theft

There are a variety of events that at first might appear harmless but after further review might be signs that your child is a victim of identity theft.

  • Unsolicited Credit Offers.

Credit card offers mailed to your home in your child's name could be that a thief has stolen your child's identity.

  • Bills and Collection Letters.

Bills or collection letters sent to your child are often signs that credit accounts have been opened in your child's name and have been unpaid.

  • Social Security Administration Account Statement.

These are annual statements that provide information about social security contributions and anticipated benefits. Since your child hasn't yet contributed to social security, receiving one of these statements in their name means something is amiss.

Protecting Your Child's Identity

It's a fact, the financial future of a child whose identity has been stolen could be at risk. For example, a young adult who is unknowingly a victim of child identity theft could have his or her loan application rejected by a bank. His or her credit score might be too low for a credit card company to accept him or her as a customer. These are just two reasons why it's so important to start protecting your child's identity from the earliest age.

DO's...

  • Teach older children to be cautious about providing personal information. If they're unsure whether or not to share their information, they should check with you before doing so. And here's a must: advise them never to give out their personal information over the Internet.

  • Check your child's credit report periodically as an extra level of security and peace of mind

  • Learn the privacy policies at schools, clubs, doctor's offices, etc. to see how your child's information will be used and protected.

  • Monitor your child's social media and online activity. Stay aware of who they're talking to and what information they're sharing on the Web.

DON'Ts...

  • Automatically provide your child's personal information to anyone who asks: Discover the reason why this information is required and then decide if you feel the reason is legitimate. If you're asked to provide your child's birth certificate or Social Security Number, find out the filing procedure, how secure it will be and if it will be destroyed when no longer needed.

  • Share too much information on social media. Criminals know how to piece together your personal information to put your identity, and that of your child, at risk.

  • Carry your child's (or your own) Social Security card in your purse or wallet. Keep the original documents, and any copies, in a safe place.

Last but not least, keep your children informed about identity theft and the risks. Find age-appropriate ways to teach them what identity theft is, how important it is to keep their personal information to themselves and why they shouldn't give this information up just because someone asks for it. Understanding these things today can help keep identity thieves out of their business in the future.

Take a look at myFICO forums to see how others have managed to prevent identity theft - for themselves and their families.

Rob Kaufman

Rob is a writer... of blogs, books and business. His financial investment experience combined with a long background in marketing credit protection services provides a source of information that helps fill the gaps on one's journey toward financial well-being. His goal is simple: The more people he can help, the better.

Estimate your FICO Score range

Answer 10 easy questions to get a free estimate of your FICO Score range

740 - 790
Estimate for Free

Instant Access to Your FICO® Score

90% of Top Lenders Use FICO® Scores. Do you know yours?

Get Access Now!

Page footer

Products

  • Home
  • Why FICO
  • How It Works
  • Pricing

Learn

  • Education
  • Community
  • Support
  • Blog

Company

  • About Us
  • Terms of Use
  • Privacy Policy
  • Affiliate Program
  • Accessibility

Get Our App

  • Download iOS app on the App Store
  • fil_get
    Get Android app on the Google Play Store

Follow Us

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Instagram

Credit Education

  • Credit scores
  • What is a FICO Score?
  • FICO Score versions
  • How scores are calculated
  • Payment history
  • Amount of debt
  • Length of credit history
  • Credit mix
  • New credit
  • Credit reports
  • What's in your report
  • Bureaus
  • Inquiries
  • Errors on your report?
  • Calculators
  • Know your rights
  • Identity theft
  • FAQ
  • Glossary

Copyright ©2001- Fair Isaac Corporation. All rights reserved.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION:

All FICO® Score products made available on myFICO.com include a FICO® Score 8, and may include additional FICO® Score versions. Your lender or insurer may use a different FICO® Score than the versions you receive from myFICO, or another type of credit score altogether. Learn more

FICO, myFICO, Score Watch, The score lenders use, and The Score That Matters are trademarks or registered trademarks of Fair Isaac Corporation. Equifax Credit Report is a trademark of Equifax, Inc. and its affiliated companies. Many factors affect your FICO Scores and the interest rates you may receive. Fair Isaac is not a credit repair organization as defined under federal or state law, including the Credit Repair Organizations Act. Fair Isaac does not provide "credit repair" services or advice or assistance regarding "rebuilding" or "improving" your credit record, credit history or credit rating. FTC's website on credit.

PRIVACY NOTICE: When you visit this website we collect your browsing activities on our site and use that information to analyze and research improvements to the website, and to our products and services. When you register for our products and services, we also collect certain personal information from you for identification purposes, such as your name, address, email address, telephone number, social security number, IP address, and date of birth. Further information is available in our FICO Data Privacy Policy. For visitors with visual disabilities, access to this website, including our FICO Data Privacy Policy, is available through assistive technologies, such as BrowseAloud, JAWS, VoiceOver, Narrator, ChromeVox, and Window-Eyes. More details on software and accessibility are available at WebAIM.org.