Safeguard Your Child’s Future: How to Prevent Child Identity Theft
Blog post from Socure
Child identity theft occurs when criminals use a minor’s personal information, particularly Social Security numbers, to obtain benefits, open financial accounts, secure loans, establish utility services, or construct synthetic identities. Nearly one million children were affected in 2022, with children under seven especially vulnerable because their clean credit histories can make fraud difficult to detect for years. Randomized Social Security numbers introduced in 2011 have also contributed to synthetic identity fraud by making certain verification methods more difficult for institutions. Parents can reduce the risk by requesting and freezing a credit file for children under 15 through Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion, submitting documentation that verifies the child’s identity, guardianship, and address. Additional safeguards include limiting the sharing of sensitive information, securely disposing of records, teaching online privacy practices, avoiding excessive social-media sharing, and watching for warning signs such as credit offers addressed to a child.
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