According to a study on child identity theft conducted by Javelin Strategy and Research, 56 percent of survey respondents reported the theft or misuse of Security number social of a child. The study also found that one in 40 with children under 18 are affected by the child's identity theft.
Fortunately, there are six steps that parents can take to protect their children from falling victim to identity theft.
1. Know who has access to personal information of your child: As a precaution, parents often rely emergency information to schools, friends or family members in the instance that their child is injured or becomes ill. While it is important for family members, friends and schools to have this information, it is essential for parents to know who has this information, and what type of personal information, these people have in their possession . Parents should ask their school and such persons if the information is stored in a safe place like a locked cabinet or safe.
2. Complete documentation of academic and extracurricular activities wisely: Many times school forms ask for personal information from a child, such as their social security number and date of birth. Before parents write personal information of your child, they should ask the office manager of the school or after-school coordinators why they need this personal information and how their child's personal information will be used and stored.
3. Ask your child's school about this is the directory information policy: school directories are a great way for parents to keep in touch with parents friends of their children, but they are families and children more vulnerable to identity theft because of personal information - such as the child's name, address, date of birth, telephone number, e -mail and potentially a photo - is available to the school community. Parents should also ask if there is an option to "opt out" to omit some or all of their child or family information from the directory.
4. See the notice or letter from the school your child with care: When information is sent home from school, parents should carefully read and check reviews or forms do not contain any personal information from children. If they do, then parents should drop the forms off at the school - instead Released -. And shred any unnecessary documents, rather than throwing them
5. Review your child school records maintained by the school each year: Under the educational rights of the family and privacy (FERPA) law, parents have the right to inspect the school records of their children, which are maintained by the school once a year. If parents feel that any information is inaccurate or misleading, then they have the right to request information to correct. Parents should take this law to ensure that information on school records of their child is correct. Parents must request records via written permission and give it to the school. Discover more details on FERPA here.
6. Register your child for identity theft protection: For parents who do not know how to protect their children against identity theft or who need a Assistance in protecting the identity of their child, identity protection against theft could be a good option. These services monitor the personal information of your child, such as their social security number and birth date, to ensure that the information is not sold on the black market on the Internet or misused. Three of our identity theft protection services examined offer protection for children. Identity Guard offers a program called KID Sure that allows you to add a child to the plan of an existing adult $ 5 / month, whereas LifeLock LifeLock offers a plan called junior that lets you add a child plan an existing adult for $ 5.09 / month or $ 56.09 / year and finally TrustedID offers a family plan that protects an unlimited number of people living at the same address for $ 18 / month (when paid annually) or $ 25.19 / month (when paid monthly).
Discover our protection against identity theft compare chart to see which service is best for your family.