Consumer Advocate 

To help prevent child identity theft, the Ohio Attorney General’s Office urges parents and guardians to proactively place a security freeze on the child’s credit report.

Child identity theft happens when someone uses a child’s identity to open accounts or receive benefits. The impostor may be a family member, friend or stranger, and may use the child’s name and Social Security number to open new accounts for cellphones, utilities, credit cards, and even mortgages.

According to the 2024 Child & Family Cybersecurity Study by Javelin Research, one in eight children have had their identity compromised since 2019, reinforcing children’s vulnerability to fraud.  

Children in foster care face a higher risk of identity theft, primarily because they relocate often and more people have access to their personal information. In fact, federal law mandates that child-welfare agencies annually review credit reports for foster youth ages 14 or older to spot identity theft.

Because children rarely check their credit, thieves can misuse a child’s identity for years. Often, the problem isn’t discovered until the child later applies for a student loan, car loan or job.

Red flags of child identity theft:

• Any information on a child’s credit reports. A possible exception: If a parent has approved a child as an authorized user of a credit card.
• Suspicious mail addressed to a child, such as a preapproved credit card offer or a bill normally linked to an adult.
• Calls or mail linking a debt to the child.
• Correspondence directed to your child from the IRS, such as unpaid income taxes or information indicating that your child is listed on someone else’s tax return.

How to place a child security freeze:
This video explains how a parent or guardian can ask the three major credit-reporting agencies to create and freeze a credit record in the child’s name. Because most children do not have established credit, the credit-reporting agency will need to create a credit record and simultaneously freeze it. The freeze restricts the credit reporting agencies from releasing information about the child, making it more difficult for an impostor to use the child’s personal information to be approved for credit, loans, or services.  

To place a child security freeze, a parent should contact each of the credit-reporting agencies: Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. The parent must provide proof of authority to act on behalf of the child, such as a birth certificate, and proof of identity for both the child and the adult.

Placing or lifting a security freeze is free. Once in place, the freeze remains in effect unless it is lifted by the parent or by the child after the child turns 16.

If you suspect that your child’s identity has been stolen:

• Review copies of the child’s credit reports. Normally, you will receive an indication that no credit report exists for the child. If you do receive a report, it shows what kind of accounts have been opened and additional information about the fraudulent activity.
• Contact the fraud department of the companies where the fraud occurred to report the activity and get the accounts closed properly.
• Report the fraud to the three major credit-reporting.
• Initiate a credit freeze on behalf of your child with all three of the bureaus.

Victims of identity theft of any age should contact the Ohio Attorney General’s Office at 800-282-0515 or www.OhioProtects.org for assistance. The office will work with the creditor, collectors, and the credit-reporting agencies to try to rectify the effects of the identity theft.