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Is Your Child In Danger Of Identity Theft? |
By:
Paul Wilcox |
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Is Your Child In Danger Of Identity Theft?
Paul Wilcox
There is a lot of talk about identity theft in the media today but few are reporting on the fastest growing demographic of identity theft victims, children. Children are at particular risk for identity theft due to the fact that they receive a valid social security number at birth and few families bother to monitor their children's credit reports since they assume there's nothing to monitor. Years later when the child reaches adulthood and attempts to buy a car or get a credit card, the fraud is noticed and the application is declined. What follows this event is a desperate and often futile attempt to clear the credit record so the young adult can get on with their life. This article will discus this phenomenon in more detail and review some simple steps you can take to protect your child from identity theft.
How Childrens' Identities Are Stolen
Children generally get issued social security numbers at a young age because their parents need it for health insurance or tax reasons. The government is busy making rules to keep adults protected from identity theft, but unfortunately their social security number is still one of the most commonly used identification methods for children, at places such as doctors offices and schools.
Furthermore, few parents even think about checking their child's credit report since the child isn't using any credit until they are about eighteen years old. Even adults who recognize the importance of monitoring their own credit history, and do so faithfully, ignore the need to keep tabs on their children's credit reports. Meanwhile the government urges individuals to monitor their own credit without mentioning that they should do the same for their children under 18. Most disturbingly is that the websites set up to provide free annual credit reports do not allow you to view your children's records. You must send a letter through the mail in order to gain access to this information.
Results Of Child Identity Theft
It's usually several years before the problem appears, often not until the child has reached adulthood and starts applying for a loan or credit cards. And there are a couple of things that can make the problem even worse than the average identity theft. First, because these accounts were opened as new ones, and not existing ones that were taken over by fraudsters, it can be a lot more difficult to clear them from your record. Second, by the time these issues come to light the debts are long overdue and have been in collections for a number of years.
Protecting Your Child From Identity Fraud
The best way to protect your child from identity theft is to routinely monitor their credit report annually. It is also a good idea to avoid giving out your child's social security number except when it is absolutely necessary. Only the IRS, and in some cases your doctors, have the right to demand your child's social security number. Additionally you should never carry your child's social security around with you. Memorize the number and leave the card at home.
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Article Source: http://www.statssheet.com/articles/article67253.html |
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