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In recognition of National Child Identity Theft Awareness Day on September 1st, the Division of Consumer Protection (DCP) urges parents to take preventative actions to safeguard their children’s identities. Child Identity Theft is a growing problem. According to recent data from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), identity theft for those under 19 years old grew 60% in three years.
“Child Identity Theft is a disturbing trend as children are 35 times more likely to become victims of identity theft than adults,” said Secretary of State Robert J Rodriguez, who oversees the Division of Consumer Protection. “The widespread adoption of technology products has introduced new challenges to parenthood. Parents must now also learn the behaviors that put children more at risk, how to protect them, and what to do when children become targeted.”
Today’s children have been raised in a digital world and unlike past generations, their exposure to these technologies starts very young and makes them vulnerable to the dangers that lurk in technology’s shadows. The scale of the issue keeps growing under the increasing influence of digital technology, excessive screen time, social media, remote learning, and digital purchases in our lives. Products used by children are not nearly as privacy protected as they should be and contribute to the growing problem of Child Identity Theft. According to the FTC, Child Identity Theft occurs when someone uses a child’s personal information to wrongfully get services or benefits, or to commit fraud.
The Impact of Child ID Theft:
Child ID fraud is expensive and detrimental. According to a study by Javelin Strategy and Research, fixing child identity theft takes longer to resolve than fraud against adults and costs the average U.S. family $372 out-of-pocket on top of any fraudulent charges. In one year, fraud losses linked to child identity theft totaled $918 million. The crime of child identity theft may go on longer than other types of identity theft, because young children are less likely to use credit or take steps to help protect their identities. Someone whose identity is stolen as a child can feel the effects for years resulting in financial losses and missed opportunities. As a young adult, they may encounter problems securing a student loan, a first credit card, apartment, or utilities. The best approach is to prevent it and look for warning signs to protect your child’s credentials.
Warning Signs to Look For:
Tips For Parents/Guardians to Safeguard Children’s Identities:
Consider freezing your child’s credit. Security freezes are free but must be placed separately with each of the three nationwide credit bureaus (Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion). The process varies between credit bureaus, but it’s not difficult and takes far less time and effort to freeze your child’s credit than to remediate a fraud case after the fact.
Make ID theft prevention a habit. Securely store all your child’s foundational identity documents (birth certificate, Social Security card, insurance cards) away from people in your circle. Any paper or electronic record that includes your child’s Social Security number should be stored securely, whether that means in password-protected, encrypted cloud storage or a locked file cabinet or safe.
Set reasonable boundaries around technology and monitor online activities. For many children, the line between the physical and virtual worlds is already blurry. Children with unrestricted and unmonitored internet access are at greater risk of experiencing the exposure of their personal information. Children’s information is collected in many places, including social media platforms, smart devices, video games and mobile applications are also gathering their information. Given the rise of data breaches, children’s identities are increasingly at risk of being exposed on the dark web and online forums where identities are illegally bought and sold.
Empower children to practice online safety:
What to do if your child is a victim of ID theft:
The New York State Division of Consumer Protection provides resources and education materials to consumers on product safety, as well as voluntary mediation services between consumers and businesses. The Consumer Assistance Helpline 1-800-697-1220 is available Monday to Friday from 8:30am to 4:30pm, excluding State Holidays, and consumer complaints can be filed at any time at www.dos.ny.gov/consumer-protection.
For more consumer protection tips, follow the Division on social media at Twitter: @NYSConsumer and Facebook: www.facebook.com/nysconsumer.
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