Child identity theft can go undetected for years. Learn the warning signs, how to freeze your child's credit for free, and how to protect their SSN.
Key takeaways:
A child's SSN is a "clean slate" criminals can misuse for years before anyone notices.
The single most effective protection is freezing your child's credit — free at all three bureaus since 2018.
Warning signs include pre-approved credit offers, IRS notices, or collection calls in your child's name.
You can't always prevent exposure (data breaches happen), but you can make your child's SSN useless to a thief.
Child identity theft is no different than adults who have their identity stolen. It happens when someone uses a minor's personal information, typically their Social Security number, to open accounts, take out loans, or commit fraud.
Why children are targets
Children are targeted by identity thieves for two simple reasons: their Social Security number has no credit history attached to it, and it isn't being consistently being watched. A thief can pair that clean SSN with any name and birthdate to open lines of credit, which is known as "synthetic identity fraud". The fraud can easily go undetected for years.
According to Javelin Strategy & Research's Child Identity Fraud study, roughly 1.25 million U.S. children were affected in a single year, costing families nearly $1 billion. The more telling stat, two-thirds of those child victims personally knew the perpetrator. Its often a family member with easy access to the child's documents, which makes prevention as much about safeguarding paperwork as it is about technology.
Warning signs your child's identity has been stolen
Because kids don't check their own credit, you have to know what signals to be on the lookout for. Any of these is a red flag:
Your child receives pre-approved credit card or loan offers in the mail.
You get a notice from the IRS saying your child's Social Security number was used on a tax return, or that they owe taxes.
Collection agencies call or send letters addressed to your child.
Your child is denied a government benefit because it's being paid to another account using their SSN.
You try to open a bank account or a 529 savings account for your child and learn one already exists.
How to check if your child's identity has been stolen
The fastest way to know is to ask the credit bureaus whether a credit file exists in your child's name. A minor generally should not have a credit report at all, unless they've opened a credit card with a parent permission / cosign.
Contact all three bureaus. Ask Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion if there is a credit file associated with your child's name and SSN.
If a report exists, request a copy and review it for accounts, inquiries, or addresses you don't recognize.
What to do if your child's identity is already stolen
If you do find fraud when checking with the three credit bureaus, you need to act methodically and quick to limit the damage:
Report it at IdentityTheft.gov, the FTC's official recovery site, which generates a personalized recovery plan and an official identity theft report.
Contact each company where a fraudulent account was opened; ask them to close the account and flag it as child identity theft.
Place a freeze on your child's now-existing credit file at all three bureaus (see the next section on how to freeze it).
File a report with your local police if a company requests it.
Keep records of every call, letter, and confirmation number. You'll need them to dispute accounts.
How to freeze your child's credit (free)
This is the most powerful step you can take, and thanks to a 2018 federal law it's free at all three bureaus. A freeze creates a credit file for your child and then locks it, so no one can open new credit against their SSN.
Gather documents. Each bureau requires proof of your identity and your child's: typically your ID, your child's birth certificate, and their Social Security card.
Submit a freeze request to each bureau. A freeze at one bureau does not cover the others. It will have to be done individually.
Store the PINs or login details each bureau gives you, so you can lift the freeze later when your child legitimately needs credit.
Repeat for every child in your household.
Unlike a fraud alert, a freeze prevents the fraud from happening rather than just flagging it after the fact.
How to prevent child identity theft
You can't stop every data breach, but you can make your child's information far harder to misuse:
Freeze their credit. Its the single highest-impact thing you can do to stop fraudsters.
Guard the SSN. Don't carry your child's Social Security card, and don't give the number out just because a form (a school, a sports league, a doctor's office) requests it.
Shred documents with your child's information before discarding them.
Question who has access. Since most child fraud involves someone the family knows, be thoughtful about who can reach your child's documents.
Monitor their identity and SSN so that if their information surfaces in a breach or on the dark web, you find out early instead of at their first loan application.
How EverGuard helps
Freezing your child's credit closes the front door. Ongoing monitoring watches the other doors, alerting you if your child's SSN or identity turns up in a data breach, on the dark web, or in public records where a thief could put it to use.
That's built into EverGuard. The Family plan monitors your children's SSNs and identities alongside your own, all in one dashboard, backed by identity theft insurance and US-based recovery support. You can see what's included in each plan here. Prevention closes the openings; monitoring makes sure you're the first to know if a new one appears. Start monitoring your child's identity today.
Frequently asked questions
What is child identity theft? Child identity theft is when someone uses a minor's personal information, most often their Social Security number, to open accounts, take loans, or commit fraud. Because children have no credit history and don't check it, the crime frequently goes undetected until the child becomes an adult.
How do I know if my child's identity has been stolen? Watch for pre-approved credit offers, IRS notices, or collection calls in your child's name. To confirm, contact all three credit bureaus and ask whether a credit file exists for your child. A minor generally shouldn't have one, so its existence is a red flag.
Is freezing a child's credit free? Yes. Since a 2018 federal law, freezing a minor's credit is free at all three bureaus (Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion). You must submit a request to each bureau separately, along with documents proving your identity and your child's.
At what age can my child's identity be stolen? At any age. Even infants. A newborn's Social Security number is a clean slate, which is precisely why thieves value it. Freezing a child's credit is worthwhile from the time they have an SSN.
What should I do first if my child's identity is stolen? Report it at IdentityTheft.gov to get an official identity theft report and recovery plan, then contact the companies where fraudulent accounts were opened and freeze your child's credit at all three bureaus.
This article is for general informational purposes and isn't legal or financial advice. If you believe your child's identity has been stolen, report it at IdentityTheft.gov.
