Parenting Pointers: Child Identity Theft

I recently had the chance to interview a representative from Equifax about child identity theft, a growing problem.

How big of a problem is identity theft for children?
Here are a few stats that demonstrate the depth of the problem and the growth.
- In 2011, more than 19,000 child identity theft complaints were reported to the Federal Trade Commission, compared with about 6,000 cases in 2003.
- A Carnegie Mellon study in 2011 looked at identity scans of 40,000 children and found that 10.2 percent of the children had had someone else use their social security numbers.
- The FTC recently announced identity theft is the No. 1 consumer complaint for the 12th consecutive year. The organization also reported that identity theft incidents in 2011 increased by 11% over 2010. To deal with the growing problem, the FTC and the Department of Justice hosted a first-ever forum on child identity theft in July 2011.

How does the Equifax monitoring system work?
The Equifax Complete™ Family Plan provides the most comprehensive set of product features available from Equifax to help protect the identities of both the adults and children in a family. The product covers two adults and up to four minor children. Here’s a closer look at specific features and how they work:
- 24/7 credit file monitoring for the adults across all three credit reporting agencies — Equifax, TransUnion and Experian – and alerts about any key changes.
- The ability to monitor a minor child’s personal information for existence of an Equifax credit file and to lock it, thereby preventing creditors from accessing it while the minor child is enrolled in the plan.
- Alerts about any activity against the minor child’s Equifax credit file
- A convenient “family dashboard” that allows the parent to stay informed on status of the identities of family members.
- Internet scans for adults’ personal information; alerts sent if personal information is detected on suspicious websites.
- Lost wallet protection for adults that includes one-stop assistance with canceling and reissuing credit/debit cards, driver’s license, insurance cards and other important documents.
- Credit scores from all three credit reporting agencies
- Unlimited Equifax credit reports and scores for adults
- Ability for adults to lock their credit files
- Identity theft insurance of up to $1 million

What are some tips parents can do to help protect their children's identity?

There are a number of steps you can take to reduce the chances of a breach of information. For instance, only carry your children’s social security cards or birth certificates on days you need them, in case your wallet is lost or stolen. Unless you initiate contact, don’t provide your child’s social security number over the phone or Internet. Generally, be vigilant about keeping your child’s identity information in a secure place at all times and in questioning all requests for this information to ensure it’s absolutely necessary.

What should they do if they suspect that their child's identity has been compromised?
Parents with reason to believe their child’s identity has been compromised or stolen can send a letter to Equifax along with a copy of the child’s Social Security card, a copy of the child’s birth certificate and a copy of the parent/legal guardian’s government-issued ID or driver’s license, and we will investigate and respond with our findings. In addition, Equifax customers, including those who subscribe to Equifax Complete Family Plan, have access to fraud resolution specialists who can help to facilitate this process.

To learn more, click the Child ID Theft 101 tab at Equifax.com/family.