Many people are aware that in today’s digital age it is important to protect your identity but parents may not realize that their children face the same threats. Child identity theft can be particularly dangerous because their credit history is a blank slate. While you likely monitor your own personal identity or credit history many parents do not think to monitor their child’s.
Here are some helpful tips to help protect yourself and your family’s identities online.
Exclude important personal information from your social media posts and profiles – Details like your home address, phone numbers and children’s ages can be used by hackers. Remove details like these from any public profiles or “About Me” sections of social media.
Monitor mail that you get through your front door as well as online – We may all be guilty of just throwing out junk mail but be aware of anything suspicious that comes in the mail such as pre-approved credit cards in your or your child’s name as well as any other financial offers.
Talk to your children about sharing information with outsiders – Your kids know not to talk to strangers in public but do they know that the same rules apply online? It is important to teach your children only accept friend requests from people they know and to not give out any information over the phone or in person just because an outsider has asked for it.
Check Credit Reports – Most children should not have a credit score and scores are only issued is someone has applied for credit. Check your child’s credit score with one of the major credit bureaus once a year to make sure there is still nothing listed.
