Can Children Have Their Identities Stolen?

Your child’s information is just as valuable to an identity thief as your own.

Unfortunately, just because someone is underage doesn’t keep them safe from identity theft. In fact, it’s even easier to steal a minor’s identity unnoticed because most parents don’t think to monitor their child’s credit until they turn 18. The truth is that children are 51 times more likely to have their identities stolen than adults!

So, what do identity thieves want your child’s information for?

Children’s information is most often stolen for:

• Opening personal checking and credit card accounts
• Applying for government benefits
• Applying for a loan
• Stacking up medical bills under your child’s identity

Children are more vulnerable to identity theft.

Robert P. Chappell Jr. is the author of Child Identity Thief: What Ever Parent Needs to Know, and he explains: “You could steal a child’s information at birth and abuse that information for up to 18 years before [the child] knows [he’s] been victimized.”

“When an unauthorized person uses your credit card number to make unauthorized purchases, most banks will contact you the moment they suspect suspicious activity. But when an unauthorized person uses your child’s name successfully to get a credit card—either by using a pre-approved card offer stolen from a mailbox or by creating a synthetic identity and applying for a new card—it is highly unlikely that anyone will contact you. As far as the bank or credit bureau is concerned, the false identity is real because thieves use a child’s clean slate to establish a new credit history.”

How would you know if your child’s identity has been stolen?

If no one is looking out for fraudulent activity against your child, you could end up discovering their identity has been stolen a variety of different ways. Some examples of these scary situations are:

• Getting collection calls or bills for products or services you never purchased
• Being denied for government benefits because they are already being paid to another account using your child’s Social Security number
• Receiving a notice from the IRS saying your child didn’t pay income taxes, or that your child’s Social Security number was used on another tax return

How can you prevent your child’s identity from being stolen?

There is no way anyone can guarantee that you or your child’s identify will not be stolen, but ReliaShield provides our customers with prevention tools and education as well as a robust recovery team of experts. Here are some things we recommend to protect your child’s identity and limit risk of identity theft:

• Ask your school how your child’s records are kept and make sure they are secure
• Before filling out a form for your child online or via email, find out how their information will be used, whether it will be shared, and with whom
• Make sure your school gives you a copy of an annual notice explaining FERPA, which includes your right to review your child’s education records, and approve the disclosure of personal information
• Check your child’s credit report around their 16^th birthday

ReliaShield offers free child protection against identity theft when you sign up for our services!

Protecting your child against identity theft is a serious and ever-growing concern. Unlike our competitors, child protection is included with our identity theft plan at no extra cost. With protection from ReliaShield, you’ll get:

• Social Security Number monitoring—so you’ll know the moment you or your child’s name, address, or SSN is used.
• Social Media Monitoring—which scans social websites to identify is your child is putting too much info online, or if they are subject to any type of bullying.
• Complete restoration services—with a $1 million expense reimbursement!

ReliaShield wants to keep your entire family safe. Get your identity theft protection quote today!