Children are issued Social Security numbers shortly after they are born. By law, they can't use that number to obtain credit until they are 18 years old. So that SSN remains mostly dormant until adulthood aside for applying for work.
That is - unless your child's Social Security number is used to commit identity theft.
You see, credit issuers currently have absolutely no way of knowing if a Social Security number belongs to a juvenile or not!
Identity thieves have found ways of getting their hands on SSNs that belong to minors and use them to open lines of credit. This often happens through the sale of what are known as credit privacy numbers or credit protection numbers (CPN) over the Internet.
The major problem here is that you and your child probably won't know that identity theft has even taken place until your child is nearly an adult. It simply won't be discovered because the child's SSN isn't being used for anything.
A non-profit organization called the Identity Theft Resource Center has helped draft legislation designed to help protect the identities of children from identity thieves. The ITRC has proposed the creation of something called the Minors 17-10 Database.
This database would be maintained by the Social Security Administration, which would update the record every month. Credit issuers would be able to check SSNs submitted to them against the database to determine if the number belongs to a minor. Every American between the ages of birth and 17 years 10 months would be included in the registry.
Not only would this prevent criminals from using a child's Social Security number, it would also prevent young people from obtaining credit cards illegally. Plus, businesses around the country would see a decrease in losses due to fraud.
The bill is called H.R. 2706: Young Children Social Security Number Protection Act of 2009. Currently it has been referred to the House Ways and Means Committee. But you can contact your congressman or congresswoman and urge them to speed up the passage of this important piece of legislation.
Authorities from the credit reporting agencies, many business groups and even the Social Security Administration already support the measure. But sometimes politicians need a little extra push to get things done!
There's not much you can do right now to prevent your child's SSN from getting into the hands of an identity thief. However, there are checks you can make for suspicious activity.
If your child receives mail for credit applications, or especially a denial of credit - that is a major red flag. You can also request a credit report to see if anything exists under your child's SSN.
Your social security number is one of the most sensitive pieces of information connected to your identity. Find out more about how to stay safe when you order checks by reading another Check Education article: What Not to Print on Your Personal Checks.
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