How You Can Prevent Thieves From Stealing Your Child's Identity
You take steps to protect your children from predators and disease, but you may not know about another real threat they face: identity theft. This crime affects as many as 9 million U.S. households a year, according to the Federal Trade Commission, and about 500,000 of those victims are children. The consequences can go well into adulthood.
Why Target Children?
Adults have baggage. Even an established individual with a high credit score has some history. A child, on the other hand, is a clean slate. There is no credit history, so there’s no back story necessary. No need to memorize employment data or addresses; everything starts fresh.
Awareness Matters
Awareness is the most important tool at your disposal. A study by Carnegie Mellon’s CyLab shows that parents are waging a war against this type of crime.
- 70 percent of those surveyed are worried about their child’s identity
- 47 percent actively monitor Internet activity
- 14 percent use a credit monitoring service
Minimize the Risk
The Internet has opened the floodgates on personal information for both adults and children. Some of the same steps you take to protect your own credit also apply to your children’s history. It starts with a credit report. You can order a credit history using a child’s social security number the same as you do for an adult. If the report has any accounts open or applications pending, they will show there.
Use social security numbers with caution. When you fill out forms for school or insurance, for example, try not to list a social security number, if possible. If it is a requirement, ask about using your own instead.
Memorize critical data. Don’t write social security numbers or birth dates downs and carry them around with you. If you lose your wallet or purse, you give others access to that information.
Monitor Internet usage. This is a good idea for many reasons. Kids might be signing up for things or answering phishing emails without you knowing it.
Have a family meeting. Education is the first line of defense. Talk to your kids openly about the risk of identity theft. Explain they should never fill out forms for themselves. They should always let you help.
Secure your network. Make sure the home system is fully loaded with security protocols such as a firewall and virus protection software. Use an online mail client like the one on AOL for filtering.
Pick up the mail yourself. A pre-approved credit card looks appealing when you’re a teen. Getting that type of mail in your child’s name is also an alert that someone may be using his or her identity to try to establish credit.
By taking a multi-layer approach, parents can stop an identity theft before it happens. Reporting unauthorized activity quickly makes it easier for authorities to catch the criminal in action. It doesn’t take much to protect your kids from identity theft and will ensure they start life with a clean credit history.
Post by Kimberly Bailey. Kim is a grandmother and technical writer who helps care for her two grandchildren.
