Identity Theft, Are Your Children Safe?

I personally have had encounters with Identity Theft; twice online, once when my wallet was lost/stolen.  Ever since then, I have subscribed to an Identity Theft Protection through my Discover Card.  After Playstation Network was hacked, they sent out a formal e-mail to all accounts on the network stating personal information may have been obtained.  They recommended subscribing to a similar service but this one was free for a year on them.  I decided to take them up on their offer as it would add a second layer of protection and give me a chance to see how another company does it.  The company Playstation recommended was All Clear ID, which offers a free and a pro version.

As part of the All Clear ID, I get newsletters in my e-mail inbox on security tips.  The latest  newsletter raised the question of children’s safety from Identity Theft.  Do you think they would be safe since they are children?  Do you think they would be less likely to be targeted?  If so, you are wrong.  Children are 51 times more likely to have their identity stolen than you!  Slightly over 10% of children have had their SSN used by someone without parental permission.  This was alarming for me, and by writing this post I hope to help spread the news of this discovery.  I have learned that Credit Reports were never intended to check for children.  Generally when a company checks your credit, it verifies the social security, name, and current standing in credit; it does not look for birth date conflicts.  A featured real issue in the newsletter explained an All Clear ID client discovered his child had 42 open accounts under his/her name.  These accounts included mortgages, credit cards, auto loans, and the like.  The open accounts started when the child was 3 years old .  Through All Clear ID the parent was able to close all outstanding accounts and only has one left pending.  This was done as a check before the child was going to apply for college and would have greatly hindered the college loan process had it not been taken care of in time.

I would highly recommend anyone to at least take All Clear ID up on their free version.  I would look at it the same way with AV/AS protection on your computer.  A free one is better protection than none at all.  If you are now wondering about your own child, please read over the sources below as I did and take advantage of their free Child ID Scan.  They can also be covered under your Identity Protection with All Clear ID.

Sources :

All Clear ID , Children 51% More Likely , Free Child ID Scan

Discover