How to Protect Your Child from Identity Theft
Keep your child's important papers, including birth certificate, passport (if they have one) and social security card locked up in a safe place., When a business asks for a social security number for your child, always ask them why they need it...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Keep your child's important papers
Anything that has personal identifiers and could be used as identification needs to be kept safe.
If you need to take these documents anywhere for proof of your child's identity, always know where they are and remember to bring them back home with you after showing them.
Never carry your child’s social security card in your wallet.
Keep it in a secure place, preferably in a safe at home. -
Step 2: including birth certificate
In the United States, you will be asked for your child's social security number even more often than for the birth certificate.
Many businesses, especially hospitals and doctors’ offices, still use social security numbers as identifiers.
Keep a record of who has the social security number of your child.
Should anything untoward happen, this might help investigations into tracking down the culprit.
A simple list kept with the birth certificate and social security number file will suffice; just remember to jot it down each time the number has been shared with a relevant authority. , The use of this number should only be official or professional purposes, such as when you enroll your children in school, get them a passport, pay taxes, open financial accounts, or apply for their first driver’s license.
If the number is requested by an organization or person who wouldn't normally receive the number, demand official identification and seek a valid reason for sharing it.
Privacy advocates advise being skeptical when asked for the social security number when there is no apparent need for it, such as church groups and vacation camps., For example, it is expected that a sports institution will handle the information confidentially, as sports teams often require a birth certificate for sign up.
Expect the same for clubs, associations and any other activity you sign your child up for.
Ask how the information is stored, in what format and what safeguards are in place during storage.
Ask for reassurance of the continued confidentiality of the information.
Ask them how they plan to dispose of the information after it's no longer needed.
Nothing beyond proper shredding (cross-shredding with other information)or return of all originals or copies is acceptable unless legislation lays out an alternative means. , Many identity thefts go undetected because parents don't assume that the child even has a credit or earnings report.Requesting these regularly can allow you to get on top of theft quickly.
It is recommended that you:
Request an annual Social Security Earnings record.
This is the most important thing to keep track of because it can alert you if someone uses your child's Social Security to obtain a job.
To request a report, call 1-800-772-1213 or visit http://www.ssa.gov/online/ssa-7004.html.
Request a free credit report each year for your child from each of the three major credit reporting companies, Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion annually.
Credit agencies don't begin a credit history on an individual until particular details are used to open a credit account.
This information can include name, age, address and Social Security number.
Bear in mind that this check may not alert you to abuse because names and birth dates may have been changed,so use the SSN check foremost. , Teach them to keep all personal information private when they are online.
Social networking sites are havens for identity thieves scanning these sites and children can innocently provide information without thinking if they haven't been alerted about what to recognize and avoid in advance. , For many people, identity theft has occurred through cyber-attacks in which the children's identifying information has been lifted from hacked computers.Always keep your computer anti-virus and anti-malware programs up-to-date.
Consider not keeping anything that identifies your child in this way on a computer that accesses the internet.
If you want to keep it in electronic form, keep it on a standalone computer that doesn't get connected to the internet.
Avoid posting photos of your children online.
There are many good reasons for resisting doing this and this is another one, especially if geo-coding gives away the residential zone of your child. -
Step 3: passport (if they have one) and social security card locked up in a safe place.
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Step 4: When a business asks for a social security number for your child
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Step 5: always ask them why they need it.
-
Step 6: Refuse to give out your child's birth certificate or social security number unless absolutely necessary.
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Step 7: Make sure that any activity your child participates in uses the information properly and handles it with care.
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Step 8: Check your child's social security earnings record.
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Step 9: Educate your children about safe Internet use.
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Step 10: Keep your computer virus software and defenses up to date at all times.
Detailed Guide
Anything that has personal identifiers and could be used as identification needs to be kept safe.
If you need to take these documents anywhere for proof of your child's identity, always know where they are and remember to bring them back home with you after showing them.
Never carry your child’s social security card in your wallet.
Keep it in a secure place, preferably in a safe at home.
In the United States, you will be asked for your child's social security number even more often than for the birth certificate.
Many businesses, especially hospitals and doctors’ offices, still use social security numbers as identifiers.
Keep a record of who has the social security number of your child.
Should anything untoward happen, this might help investigations into tracking down the culprit.
A simple list kept with the birth certificate and social security number file will suffice; just remember to jot it down each time the number has been shared with a relevant authority. , The use of this number should only be official or professional purposes, such as when you enroll your children in school, get them a passport, pay taxes, open financial accounts, or apply for their first driver’s license.
If the number is requested by an organization or person who wouldn't normally receive the number, demand official identification and seek a valid reason for sharing it.
Privacy advocates advise being skeptical when asked for the social security number when there is no apparent need for it, such as church groups and vacation camps., For example, it is expected that a sports institution will handle the information confidentially, as sports teams often require a birth certificate for sign up.
Expect the same for clubs, associations and any other activity you sign your child up for.
Ask how the information is stored, in what format and what safeguards are in place during storage.
Ask for reassurance of the continued confidentiality of the information.
Ask them how they plan to dispose of the information after it's no longer needed.
Nothing beyond proper shredding (cross-shredding with other information)or return of all originals or copies is acceptable unless legislation lays out an alternative means. , Many identity thefts go undetected because parents don't assume that the child even has a credit or earnings report.Requesting these regularly can allow you to get on top of theft quickly.
It is recommended that you:
Request an annual Social Security Earnings record.
This is the most important thing to keep track of because it can alert you if someone uses your child's Social Security to obtain a job.
To request a report, call 1-800-772-1213 or visit http://www.ssa.gov/online/ssa-7004.html.
Request a free credit report each year for your child from each of the three major credit reporting companies, Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion annually.
Credit agencies don't begin a credit history on an individual until particular details are used to open a credit account.
This information can include name, age, address and Social Security number.
Bear in mind that this check may not alert you to abuse because names and birth dates may have been changed,so use the SSN check foremost. , Teach them to keep all personal information private when they are online.
Social networking sites are havens for identity thieves scanning these sites and children can innocently provide information without thinking if they haven't been alerted about what to recognize and avoid in advance. , For many people, identity theft has occurred through cyber-attacks in which the children's identifying information has been lifted from hacked computers.Always keep your computer anti-virus and anti-malware programs up-to-date.
Consider not keeping anything that identifies your child in this way on a computer that accesses the internet.
If you want to keep it in electronic form, keep it on a standalone computer that doesn't get connected to the internet.
Avoid posting photos of your children online.
There are many good reasons for resisting doing this and this is another one, especially if geo-coding gives away the residential zone of your child.
About the Author
Adam Brown
Writer and educator with a focus on practical practical skills knowledge.
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