Child Identity Theft: How Scammers Make A Living Off Your Kids | Aura

Описание: Learn how to protect your child from identity theft: https://www.aura.com/learn/how-to-pro...

Here are 5 things you can do to protect your child against identity theft.

1. Freeze your child's credit.

Since children can’t get credit until they're at least 16 years old, initiating a security freeze is the best way to prevent identity theft. A credit freeze blocks access to your children's credit reports and denies all credit applications.

In order to do that, you will need to contact the major credit bureaus (Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion). When the child is old enough, they can reverse the credit freeze.

2. Teach your kids to keep their personal information private.

Kids should already know to avoid talking to strangers. But what happens when the phone rings and the child is emotionally bullied to give out personal information like your address, emails, passwords or credit card details? Fraudsters use psychological tactics to confuse the kids while threatening them.

So tell your children this simple thing. “If somebody online or on the phone asks you a lot of questions about our house, immediately stop talking to them. Whatever they tell you is a lie."

3. Never share your child's social security number.

In three out of five cases of child identity fraud, the child victim knows the perpetrator.

People who have access to your house might find identity documents laying around the house - and use them. Since you will probably not be needing the social security number of your child anytime soon, hide it somewhere safe.

Also, when forms from school or doctor's offices request your child's SSN, you can usually leave it blank. Share your child’s social security number as little as possible.

4. Limit how much you share on social media.

Few parents realize that social media is the perfect way for identity thieves to find family members' personal information. Avoid sharing too much on your social media, for your own safety as well.

Consider restricting your children from having social media accounts or messaging apps on their own names until they reach a certain age. Once they create their own social media accounts, follow them to monitor what they share.

5. Consider identity theft protection.

As we’ve mentioned earlier, children might realize that they’ve been a victim of identity theft too late in their lives.

Warning signs of identity theft are IRS letters claiming unpaid taxes in your child’s name, debt collection notices or credit offers in your child's name. If any of this happens you must immediately notify the major credit bureaus.

Aura can help you with that process, while offering identity theft protection for the whole family. https://www.aura.com/family-identity-...

Aura’s family protection plan comes with 24/7 credit monitoring, along with a $1 million insurance policy, which may cover eligible losses as a result of identity fraud.

Try Aura for free by clicking the link here: https://buy.aura.com/free-trial

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