Child Identity Theft

You have probably heard of identity theft, where someone uses your name, social security number, and other personal information to run up credit card bills, empty your bank account, or even commit other crimes. You may even take steps to protect yourself from identity theft—shredding your credit card bills, not carrying your Social Security card, etc. But did you ever think you needed to protect your children from identity thieves?

 

The fact is, children are increasingly popular targets of identity thieves. According to the Identity Theft Resource Center, 500,000 children had their identities stolen in 2005. Identity thieves like to target children because their information is often readily available and useful for many years: children often don’t discover their identities have been stolen until they grow up and begin trying to get jobs, take out car loans, and obtain mortgages.