Stealing Your Kids' Identities

Children are often the victims of identity thieves because their credit and backgrounds are clean, Social Security numbers are not linked to their owners' names or ages, and victims typically won't realize there is problem for many years, according to Linda Foley, founder of the Identity Theft Resource Center.

Maybe you can remember the tongue in cheek headlines mid-April, 1987.  "7 Million US Children Disappear Overnight!"  This was the first year that the IRS required a Social Security number for all dependents claimed for tax purposes.

This new IRS requirement was intended to prevent tax fraud but it also opened the door to a new crop of identity theft and scams.  Many of the victims did not know that their Social Security number was being used to obtain credit or to create a clean identity for employment until they came of age and applied for their own credit or for a job.

Their numbers had been harvested by persons working in hospitals, doctors' offices, schools, or any place that has access to the child's personal information ... including parents or other family members!

How do you know if your child's identity has been stolen? One clue is when you begin to receive those annoying offers for credit cards;  in your child's name!

Get your child's credit report.  Everyone is entitled to a free credit report annually from each of the three major companies that create the reports, according to the Federal Trade Commission.  

Companies like LIFELOCK can also help protect your child's identity.  Don't wait until it's too late.  The problem is harder to fix than to prevent.