You receive offers in the mail, but have you ever checked to see if your child’s name is on anything? Before discarding the mail, it may be the perfect time to do so. Child identity theft is on the rise.
Child Identity Theft? How Can That Be?
A study from years ago, 2011, showed that children had over 50% higher chance of becoming a victim of ID theft. Think about it: Why would a child receive an offer to sign up for a credit card? Or an AARP invitation to join?
Since the Equifax data breach in September 2017, ID theft news is common, however the main people you hear about are adults, right? If you read the news, it seems so, but child identity theft is happening at a higher rate than most people imagine.
The credit bureaus claim that children shouldn’t be affected by data breaches. This is because they shouldn’t have credit until 18 years-old. However, some people found their children’s social security numbers had been compromised.
In fact, a child’s Social Security number can be used by ID thieves to open bank accounts, credit cards, apply for government benefits or to rent a place to live.
A child should not have a credit history, but if they do it is important to take several actions:
- Clear the child’s social security number and name from any activity.
- Place a fraud alert on each credit bureau for the child’s credit report.
- Put a credit freeze on the child’s credit.
These are just a few safety precautions, but of course, we always recommend hiring a leader in ID theft protection. You may be protected, but are your children?
Hiring a leader in ID theft protection, LifeLock, will help in the unfortunate case you become a victim. With LLPromoCodes.com we have the most current codes available for LifeLock protection. It is never to late to protect yourself and your children from ID theft.
