How to Protect Your Kids From Identity Theft

Identity theft is worse in some ways than other forms of fraud, because it can remain undetected for a long time. There were 726,396 cases of ID theft overall in the first three quarters of 2024 alone, and it’s a crime that can happen to anybody—including your children.

You might think you don’t have to worry about your kids being victims of identity theft because they’re too young and don’t have any credit to steal—but you would be wrong. Of those 726,396 cases of ID theft, 17,559 (2%) involved people under the age of 19. The key is your kid’s Social Security number—once a thief has that, they can create financial accounts using what’s called “synthetic identity theft,” combining your child’s information with fake details.

You might be proactive about protecting your kids from online scams and other more obvious threats, but you also need to protect them from identity theft.

Check their credit report

Your first step is to check to see if your child has a credit report already—they shouldn’t, unless you’ve opened up an account for them or added them as an authorized user to one of your own credit cards to establish their credit. You can check this at all three credit reporting bureaus by printing out forms (Equifax, Experian) and mailing them in, or filling out an online form (TransUnion).

If your child has a credit report and you haven’t taken any steps to give them a financial history, they might be a victim of identity theft. You should immediately freeze their credit, then take the additional steps listed below to help protect them and their future finances.

Consider freezing their credit

Even if your child doesn’t have a credit report, you should go ahead and freeze their credit. Depending on their age, your children may not need to use their credit score for years, so there’s little sense in leaving them vulnerable to identity theft.

All three credit bureaus have mechanisms for parents and legal guardians to freeze the credit of a minor (Equifax, Experian, TransUnion), and if no credit report exists they will create one and then freeze it. This involves printing out a form or writing a letter and mailing it to the bureaus, along with some copies (not originals) of supporting documentation to prove you have the authority to request the freeze, including your driver’s license or other government-issued ID, both your own birth certificate and the child’s birth certificate (or other proof that you’re legally authorized to request the freeze, such as a foster care certification or court order), your and your child’s Social Security cards, and proof of address (utility bill, bank statement, etc.).

Minors can sometimes request this freeze themselves—Experian will accept freeze requests from children 14 years old and up, and TransUnion and Equifax will accept requests from children age 16 and older.

Once the freeze is confirmed, you can leave it in place until your children are older or until they need to apply for credit. You’ll receive information about how to thaw the credit reports when they’re confirmed—store that information safely so you can access it easily when you need it.

What to do if your child has a fraudulent credit report

If you discover that your child has a credit report, do three things right away:

• Request a copy of the report and contact every account listed there to let them know the account is fraudulent. Get written confirmation that the accounts were the result of identity theft and were closed.

• Freeze your child’s credit report, as noted above.

• Report the identity theft to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) at identitytheft.gov. The FTC will help you create a recovery plan and point you to the appropriate government resources—for example, if you need to report a misused Social Security number or need assistance establishing that your child wasn’t involved in a criminal enterprise as a result of the identity theft.