Greg's Corner

Start protecting your kids’ identities now!

By Greg Collier

As a child, my friends and I would fill out credit card applications, thinking we found a way to get free money. This was before identity theft became such a worldwide problem and credit card applications were given out at stores and restaurants. We’d usually give up on the process when it came to the questions about employment and salary. Not that banks were in the habit of extending credit to ten-year-olds back then. Today, it’s different, however. With enough of the right information, even if the person is a child, lines of credit can be opened in their name.

The Better Business Bureau has issued a warning to parents on how to be vigilant in protecting their children’s identities. Children have become targets of identity theft within the past several years. That’s because identity thieves enjoy the fact that children are basically a clean slate when it comes to credit. Plus, parents rarely, if ever, check their children’s credit reports.

Scammers often get their information about a child through social media. Once scammers find a target, not only will they go over every post of parents’ social media accounts, but they’ll wait until more information is posted if needed. Meanwhile, children’s Social Security numbers are often taken in various scams where the scammers pose as people or organizations of authority who may legitimately need your child’s social. For example, the scammers may pose as a health insurance company who claim they need your child’s social to pay a claim.

However, there are ways to protect your children from identity thieves. The BBB recommends checking your child’s credit report as soon as they turn 16, then freezing their credit. You will need to send documentation that proves you’re a parent or guardian, so keep that information on hand. However, when not in use, those documents should be kept in a secure location like a safe or safe deposit box. Also, not only should you limit what you share on social media about your children, but you should talk to your children as well about what they share.

Lastly, if you start receiving things like credit card applications or collection notices addressed to your children, their identity may have already been compromised.