Identity Thieves Targeting Children

Identity theft is using, without permission, a person’s name, Social Security or credit card number, or other personally identifying information to commit fraud, theft, or other crimes.

This crime is happening to children with increasing frequency, according to a June 2014 State Legislatures magazine article. The article attributes this trend to the fact that:

1. most children do not have credit histories,
2. children’s Social Security numbers are not flagged in fraud prevention databases,
3. it often takes years for children to discover that their personal information has been stolen, and
4. the information about foster care children is more easily compromised by family members and available to more people.

State legislators are addressing these problems by strengthening criminal penalties, requiring credit reports for children in the foster care system, and allowing parents and guardians to request consumer report security freezes on behalf of their children, the article stated.

 

Identify theft is a national problem. All states have identity or impersonation laws, and those in 29 states require thieves to reimburse victims. Citing a Bureau of Justice Statistics survey, the article states that in 2012 identity theft resulted in over $14 billion dollars in losses, exceeding those attributed to burglary, theft, and motor vehicle theft combined.