I was shocked when I heard a news story a while back about a girl going to get credit for the first time at 18 years old only to find out that her identity had been stolen when she was a baby. These people that had stolen her identity had racked up literally hundreds of thousands of debt on her social security number. If you think that there is no way this could happen to your child, think again. The truth is that your child’s identity is more likely to be stolen than your own.
How do they do it? Well, it used to be that the social security administration used a code of sorts based on where and when you were born to create a number. For example, everyone born in the state of Texas would get the same first three digits in their number. So, this made it easier for criminals to guess which numbers were going to be assigned to newborns that year. And, therefore, parents never knew their child’s social security number was being used until it was too late.
Luckily, the social security administration has changed the way they assign numbers, and they are more random than before. This makes it harder for criminals to guess your baby’s number. Yet, it doesn’t stop them all together. You still have to be careful to protect your baby’s identity from the very beginning.
So what can you do? One thing I do, is that I rarely give out my child’s social security number. Many forms will ask for this information. However, I always ask if it is required. Usually the answer is no, except for maybe health insurance forms.
Another thing you can do is check your child’s credit. Some companies are coming up with family plans like this one to protect your entire family for a low monthly rate.
The most important thing is to guard that information with your life. It is a struggle. It is sad that our world has stooped to a new low to steal the identities of children, but it is happening, so make yourself aware, and do the best you can to protect your precious new baby’s information.