Call it the invisible crime. Most parents remain largely unaware of child identity theft even as it’s becoming increasingly common. Victims and their parents may be unaware for years that a crime has occurred. A friend tried to open a bank account for her 7-year-old daughter and discovered someone had been using the child’s identity for years, starting two months after her birth. My friend had monitored her own identity but never given much thought to her children’s. She is hardly alone..
At Equifax, we recently commissioned a research study to better understand parents’ knowledge of and feelings about child identity theft. The research, conducted by Vantedge Group, found 84 percent of parents with minor children are only “somewhat familiar” or “not at all familiar” with child identity theft.
In 2011, more than 19,000 child identity theft complaints were reported to the Federal Trade Commission, compared with approximately 6,000 reported complaints in 2003. A 2011 Carnegie Mellon University-CyLab study looked at the identity scans of 40,000 children being monitored for identity theft and found approximately 10 percent had had someone else use their Social Security numbers.
Child identity theft occurs when someone obtains the Social Security number or other identifying information of a minor and uses it to apply for a credit card, bank account, loan, job, driver’s license or even government benefits. This can even happen with a newborn. There are other points in a child’s life when information is vulnerable, including when a parent provides a Social Security number for youth sports or when a teen over-shares online. The theft of a child’s identity often goes undetected until credit card offers arrive in the mail or the victim is turned down for his or her first credit card.
Child identity theft is a highly personal crime. If someone steals your car, you can ultimately live without it or get a new car. If someone steals your identity — or your child’s identity — it is personal. Getting your identity back can be a long, expensive and emotional process. As a father, I work to keep my children safe — and view protecting their identities as an important part of that responsibility.
Education is especially important. As the gap between perception and reality narrows, more parents will become diligent about reducing the chances of a breach and monitoring the identities of the whole family. Information and resources are available from the Federal Trade Commission and other governmental organizations to educate and provide support to consumers regarding identity theft. Companies including Equifax offer products that help parents better protect identities. As my friend knows, and as we at Equifax have learned by talking to victims, identity theft can happen to anyone.
Trey Loughran is president of the personal information solutions unit for Equifax.
