Your Children are at Risk

This is an article pulled from a special report from Identity Theft Shield.

Theft of children's IDs are increasing, and a University of Florida (UF) consumer education expert says the problem can actually be worse for younger victims."many parents don't even realize that child identity theft exists, which means the crime often goes undetected for years," says Mary Harrison, a professor with UF's Institute of Food and Agricultural Science.

Identity thieves treat personal data from children and adults the same way, with one important distinction. That is, thieves create new credit accounts for child victims, whereas most cases of adult identity theft involves existing accounts. That can make the crime worse for child victims.

In July, Utah's Operation Protect the Children uncovered an alarming crime spree involving identities stolen from victims under the age of 12. In a joint investigation by the Utah Attorney General's Office, the Office of Inspector General for Social Security Administration and the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, investigators checked Utah state records and found that approximately 1,800 Social Security numbers belonging to children under 13 may have been compromised.

"Everyone is doing everything possible to protect the identities of children," says Resident Agent in Charge Ron Ingleby, Office of the Inspector General for the SSA in a pres release. "Identity thieves could get away with destroying a child's credit for years unless we stop them".

Parents should protect documents and other information of their preschool-age children. They should not carry their child's Social Security card, and should complain if their child's school uses Social Security numbers to identify students.

For older children, the popularity of personal computers in homes and schools creates a risk they will be victimized by Internet scams such as "phishing," says Harrison. "Even bright children who are very computer-savvy may not understand the dangers of being too free with their personal information." Harrison recommends that parents monitor their children's Internet use, talk to their kids about identity theft and tell them what information they should and should not share with others.