Has Your Child's Identity Been Stolen?

As crazy as it sounds, you don’t have to be a certain age to fall victim to identity theft. In fact, you don’t even have to have a driver’s license or have attended kindergarten yet! Identity theft can happen to anyone. Do you know how to tell if your child’s identity has been stolen?

Protect Your Children

Did you know that a 2011 study from ID Analytics stated that more than 140,000 minors every year have their identity stolen? It’s crazy, but true! Unfortunately, our young ones can be victims of this horrible crime. Fortunately, there are signs you can look for to stop it from occurring!

If you want to check to see if your child’s identity has already been compromised, you can request your child’s credit report. Information you will need when making this request include your driver’s license, your child’s Social Security card and birth certificate, etc. It may take a while, but hopefully, in the end, you will find out that a credit report doesn’t exist for your child, which means his or her identity is safe for now.

However, if you’re receiving calls from collection agencies looking for your child or receiving pre-approved credit card offers that are mailed specifically to your child, then action needs to be taken. Chances are high that his or her identity may have been stolen.

The first thing you want to do is file a police report. Next, contact the credit bureaus, requesting the credit report that was mentioned earlier in this blog. All the same documentation should be needed except, this time, you may be receiving a credit report on your child.

Fortunately, if this does occur, there are steps that can be taken before kids reach age 17 in order to ensure their identity is safe before heading off to college. Practice safe habits with your children’s identity as you do your own to ensure you—as a family—are protected from identity theft.

*To learn more about how you can protect yourself and your family from identity theft, visit our website at www.firstvolunteer.com.*