A child's Social Security Number is 51 times more likely to be stolen than a grownup's, according to an announcement from the National Foundation for Credit Counseling (NFCC).
You're probably careful with your identity, shredding anything sensitive and checking credit reports for suspicious entries. But what about your children?
As part of Protect Your Identity Week (October 16-22), NFCC is alerting parents that they now have one more responsibility on their plate: protecting a child's identity. When a child's identity is stolen, it often goes unnoticed -- because you probably don't need to use the SSN anytime soon. That just gives criminals more time to create a mess that you'll have to clean up later.
If you've got children, it's worth checking their credit from an early age. In most cases, you'll have to ask the credit reporting agencies for a credit report (here's how), and hopefully you won't find anything there.
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