Children And Identity Theft ? Social Security Number Identity Theft Protection

Identity theft gets much attention from the press and the general public these days. This is due to the high profile advertising campaigns that many banks and lending institutions run on television and radio and the stories that crop up occasionally about massive credit card fraud. Given the massive take up of broadband Internet and the growing acceptance of shopping online, people begin to think about identity theft and whether it could affect them. They begin to get informed and take actions to prevent identity theft but they often overlook one demographic that is particularly vulnerable to identity theft ? their children. This article will discuss child identity theft statistics and how you can avoid being part of the statistics.

The biggest problem with childrens identity theft is the element of surprise. People don't think that their child's identity could be stolen and used to get jobs, credit cards, loans and bank account numbers. Just like adult identity theft, the thieves primary motivation is financial gain. They will use the child's identity to get a credit card and then spend big on it.

All children in the United States are issued with a social security number (SSN) at birth. This is their big brother number i.e. the governments way of getting them into the system and being able to trace them. However, it is not a big conspiracy theory, the SSN is also used to benefit the child. Health concessions, schooling and general financial benefits can be gained for that child that is identified via this SSN.

The problem arises when parents do not protect this number. This is the principle way that an identity thief will steal your child's identity. The general guidelines about who and when to give over this information state that you should only reveal your child's SSN number to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and your local doctor (for medical benefits). You do not have to give it over when enrolling in a new school or any other time when you have to prove your child's identity. If they have a passport or are on your passport then use this. Protect this document. Never take it outside the house and store it in a secure location in the home. This should provide adequate protection from child identity theft, let's now cover ways to prevent it becoming an issue.

This involves getting a credit check on your child's name. This might seem over the top as your child won't have an spending history and probably will have no credit history but it can inform you of any illegal activities that might be going on in your child's name. This can ensure that credit fraud does not ruin your child's credit record before it has even begun. Should they get to an age where they need to apply for a loan or credit card they could be in for a nasty shock to find their credit history is in tatters.

In short, protect their SSN and get credit reports on their name every so often. This should protect and prevent identity theft from happening to your children.

Do I need identity theft insurance ? and other questions about identity theft protection are answered at http://www.identitytheftsentry.com/ . Adrian writes on common identity theft scams like phishing, credit card theft and discusses identity theft statistics.