 TITLE: Should You Freeze Your Child’s Credit File? CONTENT: How Child Identity Theft Happens\n--------------------------------\nIdentity theft typically happens when a person uses someone else's name, Social Security number (SSN) or other personal information to commit fraud. When a child is the victim, it is usually related to their SSN. Often the theft remains undetected for years, only to be unearthed when they grow up and check their reports or start applying for credit.\n\"Child identity theft is usually a form of synthetic identity theft, which is when a thief uses a combination of true and fictional credentials to start and use accounts,\" says Eva Velasquez, president and CEO of the Identity Theft Resource Center. With your child's real SSN, the thief creates a fake identity, which is often used to open new credit cards or loans. The thief will rack up debt and not pay, which is then recorded on the reports associated with the SSN—your child's.\nAccording to Velasquez, there are a couple ways thieves might overtake your child's SSN. Some invent the numbers, and when the Social Security Administration issues the same one to your child at birth, the number is already tainted. Another method is when someone you know has or had access to it; it could be another parent (usually in a divorce situation), a relative or family friend.\nChildren in the foster care system are especially vulnerable to identity theft. \"It's rather common for these kids to be passed around from one person to the next,\" says Velasquez. \"Their odds of being an identity theft victim are much higher than the general population.\" END