Protect Your Child From Identity Theft

Child identity theft is a growing problem. Unfortunately, it’s an issue that could go undetected for years.

Dawn Emery of Bonaire wants to make sure her 4-year-old son’s identity is safe, but she’s not really sure how.

“The best thing to do is to pull their credit report on a regular basis so a parent can pull credit reports for their children just like they do themselves,” said Consumer Credit Counseling Service Vice President Nicole Caldwell.

Most minors shouldn’t have any credit history, but if there are any entries under their name this is a sign that their identity may have been stolen. The process of checking your kid’s identity starts with the credit reporting agencies.

Caldwell says, “There’s Equifax, Experian and Transunion. But you can access a government website which will let you pull all three together which is AnnualCreditReport.com.”

Caldwell advises parents to put a freeze on their child’s credit report.

“A credit freeze is a function that you can do with credit reporting agencies where they cannot give access to potential lenders to look at your credit reports.”

Once your child turns 18, the freeze can be lifted off the report.