Child Identity Theft
The FTC received 1.4 million identity theft reports in 2024.
Quick Answer
Child identity theft affects over 1.25 million children in the U.S. annually, with total fraud losses costing families nearly $1 billion per year.
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How It Works
1
A criminal obtains a child's Social Security number (SSN) and other personal information. This can happen through data breaches at schools or medical offices, theft by a family member or friend, or information shared online.
2
The thief uses the child's pristine, unused SSN to create a new identity, often called a "synthetic identity." They may combine the child's SSN with a different name and date of birth to apply for credit, loans, or government benefits.
3
Because children do not typically have credit files or monitor their credit, the fraud can go undetected for many years. The thief can open credit cards, take out auto loans, or even rent an apartment in the child's name, destroying their credit before they are old enough to use it.
4
The victim often discovers the identity theft years later as a young adult when they are denied a student loan, driver's license, or their first credit card due to a damaged credit history they did not know they had.
Red Flags
- Receiving pre-approved credit card offers or bills in your child's name.
- Getting calls from collection agencies about debts in your child's name.
- Receiving a notice from the IRS stating your child owes income taxes or that their SSN was used on another tax return.
- Your child is denied government benefits because their SSN is already in use.
- You are denied when trying to open a bank account for your child because one already exists.
- Your child is denied a driver's license or a student loan due to poor credit history.
What to Do If Targeted
- Contact the three major credit bureaus (Equifax, Experian, TransUnion) to check if your child has a credit report. If one exists, it is a major sign of fraud.
- Request a free credit freeze, also known as a protected consumer freeze, for your child with all three bureaus. This restricts access to their credit file, making it harder for thieves to open new accounts.
- Contact the fraud department of any company where a fraudulent account was opened. Close the accounts and get written confirmation that your child is not responsible for the debt.
- Report the identity theft to the Federal Trade Commission at IdentityTheft.gov. This will provide you with an official Identity Theft Report.
- File a report with your local police department. Provide them with the FTC Identity Theft Report.
- If tax fraud is involved, contact the IRS and file Form 14039, the Identity Theft Affidavit.
How to Report It
- FTC — Report identity theft and get a personalized recovery plan from the Federal Trade Commission.
- FBI IC3 — Report cybercrime, including online identity theft, to the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center.
- FCC — File a complaint about phone scams, robocalls, or unwanted calls with the Federal Communications Commission.
- AARP Fraud Helpline — Call 877-908-3360 for free support from trained fraud specialists. Available to anyone, not just AARP members.
- FTC — File a fraud report with the Federal Trade Commission.
Key Statistics
- Over 1.25 million children in the U.S. were victims of identity theft in one year, affecting 1 in 50 children. — Javelin Strategy & Research 2021
- Child identity fraud costs U.S. families nearly $1 billion annually. — Javelin Strategy & Research 2021
- The average family affected by child identity theft spent over $1,100 to resolve the fraud. — Javelin Strategy & Research 2021
- Over half of all child identity fraud cases involve children who are nine years old or younger. — Javelin Strategy & Research 2021
- Children are 51 times more likely to be victims of identity theft than adults. — Carnegie Mellon CyLab
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Frequently Asked Questions
Criminals target children because they have a clean slate—a Social Security number with no associated credit history. This allows a thief to create a new fraudulent identity that can go undetected for years, as parents rarely monitor a child's credit. The crime is often not discovered until the child becomes a young adult and applies for credit or loans.
You can check if your child has a credit report with the three major credit bureaus: Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. A minor should not have a credit report unless they have been added as an authorized user to an account. The existence of a credit file is a strong indicator of identity theft.
A credit freeze, also called a protected consumer freeze for minors, restricts access to your child's credit file. This makes it difficult for identity thieves to open new accounts in their name. You can request a free freeze for a child under 16 by contacting each of the three credit bureaus directly.
Over 70% of child identity theft victims know their perpetrators, according to a 2021 study by Javelin Strategy & Research. The thief is often a family member, family friend, or someone with close access to the child's personal documents and information.
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