Child Identity Theft: How To Keep Kids Safe

How Does Child Identity Theft Happen?

Child identity theft occurs when someone illegally uses your child’s sensitive information for personal gain — such as applying for government benefits, opening new accounts, or taking out loans in your child’s name.

While there’s an obvious financial motivation behind child identity theft, it’s not the only reason why scammers target youths. A child’s identity is essentially a “blank slate” for identity thieves that can be used to gain illegal employment or combined with other stolen data to create a “synthetic identity”.

According to Javelin Strategy’s 2024 Child & Family Cybersecurity Study:

One in 19 children were the victims of identity fraud last year — more than a 150% increase from previous years.

As a parent or guardian, your child’s safety is a primary concern. With identity theft and fraud impacting more and more minor children, it’s important to know the warning signs and what to do if your child becomes a victim.

{{show-toc}}

What Are the Warning Signs of Child Identity Theft?

Children are prime targets for identity theft due to the fact that few parents regularly monitor their children’s credit. Children can also easily become victims of phishing scams over email, texts, or social media, or even have their sensitive information leaked in a data breach.

Even worse, in many cases, family members are to blame, as they have easy access to a child’s information and identification cards. The same goes for legal guardians and close friends.

Here are some of the main red flags that your child’s identity has been stolen:

• Accounts, loans, or inquires in your child’s credit report. It’s illegal for anyone under the age of 16 to apply for a loan. However, few companies actually verify ages before issuing credit cards or lines of credit. Plus, in 2011, the Social Security Administration (SSA) switched to randomized SSN numbers, which means it’s no longer easy to tell an applicant’s age by their SSN. If your child has a credit history or credit score when they shouldn’t, it could be due to identity theft.
• Notifications from the IRS that your child’s Social Security number (SSN) has been used to file taxes. Fraudsters may use your child's identity to file fraudulent tax returns and pocket the refund. If scammers use your child’s SSN, their legitimate tax returns can be rejected later in life.
• Letters from bill collectors, pre-approved credit cards, or utility bills. If scammers apply for credit using your child’s personal information, you may receive notices of unpaid bills, past-due collections, or credit card offers. Don’t write these off as junk mail — they could be red flags.
• You or your child are denied government benefits. Being turned down for benefits, such as health care coverage or nutrition assistance programs, could signal that someone else is using your child’s information to get those benefits.
• Your child is denied student loans. Similarly, if your child applies for student loans and is rejected, it could be due to someone ruining your child’s credit score by taking out loans or opening credit cards in their name.

Unfortunately, because child identity theft easily goes undetected, the consequences can be severe. Child victims of identity theft often only realize they’ve been targeted when they get denied for a credit card, student loan, driver’s license, or job.

What To Do If You Think Your Child’s Identity Has Been Stolen

As soon as you think someone has stolen your child’s identity, you need to minimize the damage they can do, close accounts, and report the fraud.

Here’s what to do:

Freeze your child’s credit reports

First, check if your child has a credit report in their name by contacting each of the three credit reporting agencies — Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion. You can also request free credit reports from all bureaus online at AnnualCreditReport.com.

Any unexpected activity on your child’s credit report can be a sign of identity theft.

Even if you don’t find any credit activity, it’s still a good protective measure to freeze your child’s credit. Guardians and parents can initiate a credit freeze for children under the age of 16 while 17- and 18-year-olds can freeze their own credit files.

You’ll need to provide proof you have authority to act on behalf of the minor (such as a foster care certification, power of attorney, or your child’s birth certificate).

Here’s how to get in touch with the credit bureaus to freeze your child’s credit report:

• Equifax: Call 1-888-378-4329 or fill out and mail in a minor security freeze request form.
• Experian: Use their online portal to fill out a minor security freeze request (or print and mail it in).
• TransUnion: Send a request for a “protected consumer freeze” including copies of your government-issued identification and documentation that you have authority to act on behalf of the minor.

Keep copies of everything you send to each of the major credit bureaus. When you receive a confirmation letter, it will include your child’s credit PIN, which you’ll need to unfreeze it later on.

💡 Related: Did You Accidentally Give a Scammer Your Child's SSN? Here's What To Do →

Contact impacted companies, financial institutions, or lenders

Contact the fraud department at any company where your child’s identity was used. This includes lenders on their credit reports as well as anyone you received a bill from in your child’s name.

Inform the companies that your child is a minor, and therefore isn’t liable for any debts taken out in their name. Ask the companies to close those accounts right away and request a letter of confirmation to make sure it was done.

Some companies may require an official identity theft report or police report before they’ll close accounts.

File an official identity theft report with the authorities

Official reports can minimize the long-term damage of identity theft on your child. These reports are also often required for removing fraudulent debts and closing accounts.

Here are a few of the institutions with which you should contact after child identity theft:

• File an official identity theft report with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) at IdentityTheft.gov or by calling 1-877-438-4338.
• File a police report for identity theft with local law enforcement. This is an especially important step if a family member committed the crime and you want to press charges.
• Contact the SSA to check if your child’s SSN has been used elsewhere (such as for taxes, government benefits, or employment). If it has, you may be able to change their Social Security number.

Secure your child’s online accounts and devices

If your child has been the victim of hacking or has lost access to their online accounts, you need to secure their devices to prevent continued abuse.

Here’s a quick checklist on what to do:

• Regain access to hacked accounts. Request a password reset on any compromised accounts. Once back in, make sure you update any backup email addresses or phone numbers and consider enabling additional security measures, such as two-factor authentication (2FA).
• Scan devices for malware or perform a factory reset. Use your device’s built-in tools or Aura’s antivirus to scan laptops, phones, and tablets for malware that could give hackers continued access to your child’s devices. You can also perform a factory reset — but this doesn’t always remove all malware.
• Teach them about proper password security. Make sure your children are using secure and unique passwords for their accounts and know not to share them with others online. As a general guideline, passwords should be at least 10 characters long and include a combination of letters, numbers, and special characters.

💡 Related: How To Keep Your Kids and Teens Safe on Social Media →

Consider signing up for family identity monitoring and protection

You can’t always keep an eye on your kids online. That’s why so many families sign up for identity theft protection services.

Aura’s family plans keep you and your kids safe against scams, fraud, and hacking with advanced digital security tools, identity monitoring, and 24/7 U.S.-based support. Despite being a relatively new service, Aura has been rated #1 by TechRadar, Money.com, and is a Mom’s Choice Award Gold Recipient in family-friendly apps.

Here’s how Aura keeps your family safe:

• Identity theft protection for your entire family. Aura monitors your family’s sensitive information across the Dark Web, data breaches, and public records. You’ll get alerts if anything has been compromised. Family plans include protection for up to 5 adults and unlimited children.
• Credit monitoring to stop financial fraud. Aura will also monitor your credit file and bank accounts for signs of financial fraud. A mystery shopper survey found that Aura’s fraud alerts are faster and more reliable than other credit monitoring services³.‍
• Child three-bureau credit freeze support. Freezing your child’s credit can be a long process — but Aura provides guided support to help you deal with all of the major credit bureaus. ‍
• Advanced parental controls and child online balance reports. Aura can block or restrict apps and websites, allow you to turn off the internet on your child’s device, and provides deep insights into your child’s online interactions to help you know if they’re safe online.‍
• Device and network security against hackers. With Aura, you also get a full suite of digital security tools for all of your family’s devices — including antivirus software, a virtual private network (VPN) to hide your data from hackers, password manager, Safe Browsing tools, and more. ‍
• 24/7 U.S.-based support. If you need help, Aura’s dedicated team of White Glove Fraud Resolution specialists are always available.‍
• Up to $5,000,000 in identity theft insurance coverage. Every adult member on an Aura plan is covered for up to $1,000,000 in eligible losses due to identity theft — to a max coverage of $5 million on family plans with five adults.

The Bottom Line: You Can Help Protect Your Kids From Identity Theft

Child identity theft is a growing problem — but the good news is that there are tools you can use and steps you can take to keep your family safe.

Here’s how you can help prevent your child from being targeted by an identity thief:

• Freeze your child’s credit report immediately. Your child shouldn’t have an active credit file until they’re older. Freeze it now to protect them against fraud.
• Limit the amount of information they share online. Scammers research their targets online before engaging with them. Teach kids not to give out personal information online — such as their birthday, address, or location — even when signing up for new services.
• Change their social media privacy settings. Limit who can view and engage with your child’s online accounts to just friends and contacts. Follow this detailed guide on how to update social media privacy settings.
• Don’t give out your child’s SSN unless absolutely necessary. Whenever someone asks for your child’s SSN, ask them why they need it, how they will keep it safe, and if they can use a different identifier (or even just the last four digits). In almost all cases, the IRS is the only entity that requires your child’s Social Security number.
• Keep sensitive mail and documents secure. Anything that includes your child’s SSN, name, date of birth, or other information should be stored securely, or properly destroyed before throwing it out. This includes your child’s Social Security card and birth certificate. ‍
• Follow up on unexpected mail, email, or calls about your child. Contact companies directly using the details on their official website to see how they got your child’s information.‍
• Continue to monitor your child’s SSN and online accounts. Identity theft can happen at any time. Signing up for a child and family identity theft protection service like Aura can

The best thing you can do to protect your child now and in the future is secure their identity from scammers. Teach your kids about the dangers of identity theft and how to stay safe online. For added security and peace of mind, consider signing up for Aura.