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Identity theft is frightening at any age and has become a rising concern throughout the United States . According to the Federal Trade Commission, from 2003 to 2004, the number of identity theft reports increased from 6,400 to 9,800, and the number of identity thefts involving children rose by one-third.
 Surprisingly, children are prime targets for identity theft. They are targeted because they have clean credit reports. Also, this crime can often go undetected for years because most children do not check their credit information and parents often do not dream that it is necessary to do so. Children have become more susceptible to identity theft as a result of their use of the Internet.
In an article on the University of Florida website, Mary Harrison, an expert, explains one important difference between child and adult identity theft: “thieves necessarily create new credit accounts for child victims, whereas most cases of adult identity theft involve existing accounts.” For more, see www.napa.ufl.edu .
Child identity theft is, in many ways, potentially more devastating than adult identity theft. It can hinder young people from being able to get a driver's license, car, college loan, apartment, house or credit card.
One of the best ways to prevent identity theft is for parents and children always to be wary, conscious and extremely careful about giving out their most sensitive personal information, especially Social Security numbers.
HOW TO PROTECT YOUR CHILDREN
A recent MSN Money article suggests:
- “Avoid giving personal information out on the phone, through the mail or on the Internet unless you know exactly who you are dealing with.”
- “Shred any paper that contains a Social Security number.”
- “Be wary of credit card offers in the mail.”
- “Ask your bank or credit union to require a photo ID and password for all transactions for your or your child's account.”
Advise and help your children to check their credit reports annually:
- Everyone (children and adults) is entitled to receive a free copy of their own personal credit report from each of the three national credit bureaus (Transunion, Equifax, and Experian) once every twelve months.
- Obtain your free copy at www.annualcreditreport.com .
- These reports keep people updated on their credit history, allow them to identify errors or mistakes and will show if another person has been using their credit.
- Note, though, that these reports do not contain actual credit scores, which are computed differently by creditors and lenders for their own purposes.
What to do if your child's identity is stolen:
The website www.consumer.gov suggests that people should take four steps after they discover that they are victims of identity theft:
- Contact the fraud departments of any of the three national credit bureaus (their websites have phone numbers) to place a fraud alert on your file.
- Close accounts you believe were tampered with or opened fraudulently.
- File a police report.
- File a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission.
For more detailed instructions on how to respond after becoming a victim of identity theft, the websit e www.identitytheft.org provides further excellent step-by-step instructions for victims of identity theft.
For More Information on Identity Theft:
www.idtheftcenter.org
www.annualcreditreport.com
www.consumer.gov
For more information, please see our website www.ohiotreasurer.gov or call us at 1-800-228-1102. |
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