(ARA) – More than 60 percent of Americans say they know little about child identity theft and
nearly half think the problem is not very common, even though Federal Trade Commission statistics indicate that the percentage
of identity theft victims younger than 18 has virtually doubled in the past few years.
Although the FTC reports
that 5 percent of all ID theft victims are children, a recent poll by ConsumerInfo.com, an Experian company (also known as
“Experian Consumer Direct”), indicates that more than half those polled think it unlikely their own children could
fall victim to the crime. The survey of more than 1,000 adults also indicates that Americans have major misconceptions about
how ID theft -- especially that perpetrated against children -- occurs.
“As soon as a child has a Social
Security number, he or she is at risk of becoming a victim of identity theft,” says Maxine Sweet, vice president of
public education for Experian.
Parents need to be aware of how identity theft occurs and what tools are available
to help them protect their children from it, Sweet says. Concerns within the credit reporting industry over child identity
theft prompted Experian Consumer Direct to recently launch a credit monitoring product designed to alert parents and guardians
of potential signs of identity theft against their minor children.
The best way to protect your child’s Social
Security number is to limit who has it, Sweet adds.
“Instead of revealing your child’s Social Security
number, offer a business your own or an alternate identification number, such as your driver’s license number,”
Sweet says. “But be aware, companies can refuse to do business with you if you decline to give them your Social Security
number. In that case, you may want to consider working with another business.”
Despite popular belief that
the Internet is a major source of identity theft (85 percent of the Experian survey respondents thought the Internet a likely
source of child identity theft), most identity theft occurs in more mundane ways, such as mail stolen from a mailbox. To protect
themselves and their children from identity thieves, parents should:
* Shred mail and other documents that contain
personal, identifying information.
* Never give personal information to a telephone solicitor who has called you.
* Immediately cancel lost or stolen credit cards and bank cards.
* Beware of “phishing” e-mails
-- unsolicited e-mails that ask for financial or other personal information.
* Limit the amount of personal information
you share on social networking Web sites.
* Don’t leave mail in the mailbox overnight.
* When
using an ATM, cover the keys when entering your PIN number.
* Monitor your bank and credit card statements and
your credit reports.
* Consider enrolling in an identity theft monitoring product, such as Experian Consumer Direct’s
Family Secure (www.FamilySecure.com). Membership costs less than $20 per month and helps parents and guardians determine if
anyone has attempted to or successfully opened a credit account using their child’s identity. If a match is found, Experian
Consumer Direct alerts the parent or guardian and assists them on how to take corrective action if identity theft has occurred.
The product also guarantees to reimburse up to $2 million in certain identity theft expenses if a parent, guardian or child
becomes a victim of identity theft while a member of Family Secure.
Parents or guardians can enroll themselves
and their children in Family Secure by visiting
www.FamilySecure.com.
