You likely know the importance of protecting your own personal data, but have you thought about how identity theft could potentially impact your child? Data breaches involving government databases, school systems, and healthcare records are common ways that a child’s personal information can be compromised. Exposed sensitive data such as your child’s name, social security number and birthdate can put them at risk of having their identity stolen. And because children aren’t actively using or checking their credit, it is easy for child identity theft to be overlooked for years. The good news is that there are several things you can do to help protect your child’s identity.
- Know the signs of child identity theft. The following could be signs that your child's personal information has been compromised:
- You receive calls about bills for your child that you don't recognize
- Your child's student loan application is denied
- You receive a letter from the IRS about taxes your child owes
- Your child is turned down for government benefits they were previously receiving
- Find out if your child has a credit report. Most of the time, your child will not have a credit report until they reach the age of 18. If they do have one, it could indicate that someone has illegally used your child's identity. The three major credit bureaus, TransUnion, Equifax, and Experian, all allow you to inquire about whether your child has a credit report on file:
- Request a security freeze for your child. Freezing your credit prevents your credit report from being pulled, and new accounts, loans, or credit cards being opened in your name. As a proactive measure, you can freeze your child’s credit to prevent access to it. As most children will not have a credit report on file unless their identity has already been stolen, freezing your child’s credit typically involves the credit bureau creating a credit report for them, and then immediately freezing it so no one can illegally obtain credit in their name. Once your child is 16 or 17 years old, they can typically remove the security freeze on their own, or a parent or legal guardian can assist.
- Always read privacy policies. Before you provide any information about your child on a medical form or otherwise, make sure you fully understand your privacy rights. Do not provide your child’s personal information to companies that may share that information with others. If a privacy statement says the organization can share the information, you have no control over who they may share it with.
- Talk to your teen about protecting their data. From a young age, many children are on social media, interacting with people around the world. Parents should monitor their children’s internet activity, but it’s also important for teens to understand the risks of giving out their personal information. Make sure they know the importance of keeping personally identifiable information private, including their full name, birthdate, address, and school name.
There are so many things that parents have to worry about these days, it can be easy to overlook the threat of child identity theft. But given how detrimental identity theft can be, you’ll be doing your child a favor by being proactive about reviewing and monitoring their credit. As your child gets older, you should have candid conversations with them about the risks involved with their personal information, and make sure they have the skills necessary to protect their own identity.