 TITLE: How to Protect Your Child From Identity Theft CONTENT: What Is Child Identity Theft?\n-----------------------------\nChild identity theft is a special case of identity theft involving the criminal abuse of personal information belonging to minors, including Social Security numbers (SSNs), dates of birth and home addresses. The nonprofit Identity Theft Resource Center (ITRC) cites a 2018 study that found that more than 1 million children were targeted for identity theft in 2017, underscoring the significance of the problem.\nCrooks can use children's personal data the same ways they do adults', for purposes including:\n*   Applying for and opening credit card accounts\n*   Obtaining loans\n*   Seeking unemployment, Social Security benefits or other government services\n*   Opening bogus bank accounts for use in fraudulent money transfers\nChild identity theft is especially pernicious because children typically don't receive the bank statements, credit card bills and other communications that can alert adults to suspicious financial activity. This means child identity theft can go on for years before it is detected, spawning multiple bogus accounts or loans, all of which can damage the child's credit. While that damage can be undone with time and effort, child identity theft can come to light at a devastating time—when the child's first student loan application is denied, or when the credit check for a first job throws up a red flag, for instance.\nCriminals take advantage of the fact that parents—even those who carefully track their own credit and financial histories—may not think to safeguard their children's personal data and credit. END