Protecting Your Child from Identity Theft

Identity theft is a serious problem that can derail life plans. This is especially true if it happens to your child, only to be discovered when they are old enough to get their first lease, utility line, or credit card. Our Sharmin & Sharmin Florida identity theft lawyer can help you navigate these problems should they arise. However, we have provided some information below to protect your child from identity theft proactively. 

How to Protect Your Child From Identify Theft

It’s not uncommon for parents to forget that their children technically have an identity that can be stolen. We use our child’s social security number for things like health insurance or taxes, but most of us don’t engage much with our child’s line of credit. The Federal Trade Commission provides a few tips to protect it:

Be Suspicious

Ask questions before giving your child’s social security number to anyone. If you can skip providing it, that is one less place your child’s number can be stolen. Sometimes, it is truly needed, but many times, it is optional. Sometimes, you may be able to simply provide the last four digits without the entire number. 

Secure Important Documents

Keep your child’s information on documents like a social security card or other medical or insurance documents in a secure place. This could be a safe or just a locking filing cabinet. If you need to get rid of any of the documents, ensure they are shredded so that identifying information cannot be read. 

Wipe Devices

If you are getting rid of an electronic device like a phone, tablet, or computer, ensure you have erased all relevant data. Most devices have factory reset options that should clear your data and return to factory settings. This includes logging out of accounts that could provide the information and clearing password keychains.

Credit Freeze

You may opt to freeze your child’s credit. This will prevent new lines of credit from being opened or applied for. In some cases, you may also be able to set up a fraud alert so that the financial institution attempting to access your child’s credit and yourself are alerted. You can unfreeze the credit when it is needed.

Indicators of Identity Theft

If you are unsure of whether or not your child’s identity has been stolen, the indicators are similar to when this happens to an adult. Some of the signs to look out for include:

• Denied benefits that your child should be eligible for
• Notices that your child has overdue bills 
• Your child’s student loan application is denied, or problems arise with FAFSA
• You receive notices from the IRS regarding taxes that your minor child owes

If you see any of these signs or suspect that there is a problem, you can try to pull your child’s credit report to see if anything shows up or is inaccurate. If you see signs of identity theft, you can report them to the FTC and the credit reporting bureaus to begin taking corrective actions. While reporting to the police department is not mandatory, it may become beneficial if you encounter any problems correcting mistakes created by fraudulent activity.