Problems like the theft or misuse of a child’s Social Security Number (SSN), whether through the use of a CPN or some other means, can often raise questions about child identity theft. Unfortunately, our Licensed Investigators have seen and heard a lot of advice that we consider to be incorrect, or at the very least, misleading. We’d like to share a few insights regarding some of the questionable statements about child identity theft that we’ve come across:

1. Myth: A child may never be able to repay the debts that are created by the identity thief.

Fact: Children (and adults) should never be required to pay the debts created by an identity thief – they should dispute the accounts and not agree to pay anything they did not authorize. Although sometimes tedious, these dispute processes are in place to allow the victim to prove the debt is the result of identity theft, and have it disassociated from his or her credit report and eventually removed from the credit history.

2. Myth: Visit annualcreditreport.com to find out if a credit file exists for your child.

Fact: Even if a credit report does exist because your child is a victim of identity theft, a parent will not be able to obtain the credit report there or at any other website. The parent will be asked to provide demographic information and answer questions about credit history – and will only know the authentic details for the child. He or she will not know the address, date of birth, or any account information likely used by the thief to create a synthetic identity – that is, one made of components from various identities. Merely entering the child’s accurate information won’t help, because once the information is entered, the parent will be advised immediately that credit reports do not exist for children under 18, and to contact the credit bureau if they believe there is a problem.

3. Myth: Always contact the bureau directly to inquire whether your child has a credit file.

Fact: There’s a little bit of a gray area here. Parents are urged by the bureaus to contact them in writing to seek more information if they believe there may be a problem. Unfortunately, there is a concern that checking for the existence of a file could potentially create a file for the child if one does not already exist. Kroll recommends checking with the bureaus only when there is evidence that the child is already a victim.

4. Myth: A credit file automatically exists when someone turns 18.

Fact: While it is true that you have to be at least 18 before you can apply for credit, age has nothing to do with the creation of a credit file; a 50-year-old person who has never financed any purchase will not have a credit file.

by Charlotte Rose
CIPP 
Senior Investigator, Kroll Fraud Solutions

Tags: child social security numbers, CPN, ID theft, id theft of minors, identity theft scams, privacy issues for minors

Categories: Identity & Data Theft Crime.