How to Help Prevent Child Identity Theft from Occurring as Kids Head Back to School

The back-to-school season has arrived! Parents and guardians across the country have bought their kids new clothes and supplies. They have already sent their little loved ones off or are preparing to do so soon. Starting a new school year can be difficult for children and parents alike. While children worry about their assignments, parents worry about their children’s safety. That safety extends beyond just physical harm. Parents must now find effective ways of protecting their children against digital threats, so child identity theft does not occur. 

According to Javelin, child identity fraud costs U.S. families $1 billion annually and affects one (1) out of every 50 children. Identity thieves are looking to prey on the personally identifiable information (PII) of the most vulnerable group in the world: children. Child identity theft typically involves a child’s Social Security number and name. It includes social media accounts and personal details posted on social media.  

How to Protect Your Child 

As children head back to school, there are some steps parents can take to reduce the risk of child identity theft occurring. 

• If you notice suspicious activity on your children’s social media profiles or devices, act immediately to verify your child’s account by logging in and changing all passwords. 
• Teach your children good cyber-hygiene habits. 
• Most importantly, consider freezing your child’s credit. 

How to Freeze Your Child’s Credit 

When a child’s credit is compromised, it can have life-long consequences. Many teenage victims report they cannot obtain financial aid, enroll in college, or pass an employment background check because a criminal has used their PII to create a work and income history, sometimes for as long as a decade or more.  

The Identity Theft Resource Center (ITRC) always recommends freezing a child’s credit to help reduce the risk of child identity theft occurring. It’s an easy process that can help significantly lower the chances of a child’s information being used fraudulently to open new financial accounts. 

A parent can start by checking if a child has a credit report in their name. If there is no credit file for a child younger than 16 years old, the parent or guardian can request that the Credit Reporting Agencies (CRAs) create a credit file and freeze the credit report immediately upon creation, at no cost, to prevent new financial accounts from being opened using the child’s PII. 

A credit freeze for a minor or dependent adult cannot be done online. However, each CRA has a website link explaining the steps to take: 

• Equifax
• Experian 
• TransUnion 

If a child is 16 or 17 years old and does not have a credit report, they can choose to freeze their own credit. However, we recommend the guardian continue to monitor their credit. 

Children Online Privacy Protection Act 

In addition to the steps listed above, some may wonder what legal policies are in place to help protect children. As a means of creating a series of protections for children’s online identities, Congress created the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act — also called COPPA. This law, enforced by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), says that any site or service, like online apps and platforms, that COPPA covers must get a parent’s approval before collecting PII from any child under 13 years old.  

Education tech companies offering online services directed to kids under 13 years old must follow the law. This means properly safeguarding your child’s PII and, where a company relies on the school to provide consent, using kids’ information only for school-related purposes – not for things like marketing. COPPA also limits how long companies can keep a child’s PII. When a company breaks the rules, the FTC can sue. Read the Policy Statement to learn more.  Also, to learn more about online safety for children, read Porch’s article “Expert Advice to Keep Kids Safe Online“. 

Contact the ITRC 

If you have additional questions about how child identity theft occurs or what to do to keep kids safe, contact the ITRC. You can speak with an expert advisor toll-free by phone (888.400.5530) or live-chat on the company website. Just visit www.idtheftcenter.org to get started.