When you hear about identity theft, you usually think of older men and women who find out their identities have been stolen when they receive their credit card bills or tax forms and find discrepancies. Unfortunately, it’s not only adults who have their identities stolen. In order to protect a child’s identity, here’s what you need to know.
How You Usually Discover Child Identity Theft
Usually, most people only discover their child’s identity has been stolen when damage has already been done. For example, when your 15-year-old child gets a call from the IRS about W-2’s someone else filed in his or her name or when he or she goes to apply for college loans and they have an awful credit score because of loans a thief has taken out.
How Your Child’s Identity Gets Stolen
In the technological age we live in, some of your child’s toys or devices may illegally record conversations your child has — especially if they’re knock-off versions from other markets who don’t
have to follow the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act. When they’re older, your child could have his or her identity stolen by giving his or her Social Security number out during job fairs.
How to Protect a Child’s Identity from Being Stolen
Above all else, talk to your child about protecting their identities and not giving out his or her social security number. You can suggest he or she not give it out to potential employers until the company is ready to give an official offer. You should also get your child’s credit report regularly to ensure nothing looks out of the ordinary.
At Complete Shredding Solutions, we are experts when it comes to information elimination. We offer media shredding services as well as paper shredding at affordable prices. For more information or to schedule a service, call us at 516-442-1624.
