Minors and Identity Theft

Without a doubt, we all feel the impetus to keep the young people in our lives safe—safe from abuse, safe from bullying, safe from all harm. In the ever-expanding digital world, also consider taking active measures to protect your children's identities. According to reporting agencies, between 500,000 and 750,000 children living in the United States are affected by identity theft each year.

Your child's personal information is protected by law-—and asking schools and other organizations in which your family is involved to protect that data can certainly help minimize the exposure risk.

Below are some best practices.

• Consider setting up credit freezes: for your child's social security number (and your own) with the main credit reporting agencies… You can implement them and then temporarily raise them if needed, but this action prevents thieves from using and ruining credit. The main credit reporting agencies are: Experian, Transunion, and Equifax.
• Get an IRS Identity Protection PIN. This protects against tax filing fraud misuse or fraud around social security. Click here to find out how. 
• When your child turns 16, check his or her credit report.

Additionally, the Federal Trade Commission provides specific and comprehensive information about identity theft and children as well as tools for parents. Click here for more information.

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