Child Identity Theft

Preventing child identity theft

Children make a tempting target for identity thieves because theft of a child's identity may go undetected for years.

After their child is born, most parents apply for a Social Security number, which is all that's required to open most credit accounts. It could be years until a child applies for credit in their own name. This makes it easy for identity theft to go undetected for years and create serious consequences:

• Identity theft could affect your child's future credit and employment history if the thieves (who sometimes turn out to be family members) obtain credit accounts or even get jobs using your child’s identity.
• If the thieves are arrested for other crimes, those crimes could become associated with your child's record.

How do you know if your child's identity has been stolen?

• Your child begins to receive suspicious mail, like pre-approved credit cards and other financial offers normally sent to adults, in their own name.
• You try to open a financial account for them but find one already exists, or the application is denied because of a poor credit history.
• A credit report already exists in their name. If the child has one, they may have been targeted already, since only an application for credit, a credit account, or a public record starts the compilation of a consumer credit file.

How can you check if identity thieves targeted your child?

If you suspect your child is a victim of identity theft, TransUnion can help. Please use our secure Child Identity Theft Inquiry Form to submit details about your concerns. You can also email childidtheft@transunion.com. Do not email sensitive, identifying or account information.

The more detailed the information you provide, the more thoroughly we can investigate the existence of a potential credit file in your child's name. Remember, you are initiating this communication with TransUnion, a trusted source of credit information. We will use this information only to conduct the search you request. We will not include this sensitive information in any return correspondence to you.

After our search is complete, we will respond to you at the email address you provide. If we locate a file in your child's name, we will ask you for additional information in order to proceed with steps to protect your child from any impact associated with this fraudulent activity. The more promptly you respond to this request, the more quickly we can take action on your family's behalf.