We don’t often consider our children at risk for identity theft. This makes them a target for many thieves.

Do you know what your child’s credit report looks like? Of course not! Why would you check a credit report for someone who doesn’t have any credit? While it may seem ridiculous, this is the reason that children are easy targets for identity theft. Thieves know that adults aren’t going to be checking a credit report for a child so they can run up debt for years without being detected. Common ways that thieves get information about children are medical records, mail tampering and computer searches. Here are a few ways to help protect your child’s identity.

• Guard their Social Security number – Never carry your child’s Social Security card in your wallet, give the number out over the phone unless you trust the recipient and don’t give them the number until he or she is old enough to understand what it is.
• Be mindful when posting information about your child – If you want to post on social media that it is your child’s birthday, don’t reveal their age. Thieves can use that information to get their complete date of birth and access personal information. If you have a child online, stress to them the importance of protecting personal information on the internet.
• Be careful with their birth certificate – A lot of club sports teams ask parents to present a birth certificate as proof of a child’s age. If your child’s coach asks for personal documents, make a copy and show it to the coach. Put the copy in a sealed envelope with your name on it and let the coach know that you expect to get the envelope back unopened at the end of the season.

Signs that your child’s identity has been stolen:

• Your child receives unsolicited credit offers or letters from debt collectors
• If you try to open an account for your child and the bank tells you that an account with your child’s Social Security number has already been opened
• The IRS sends you a letter saying that the Social Security number listed for your child on your tax return is a duplicate

Unfortunately, identity theft is becoming increasingly common and nobody is free from risk, including children. Milledgeville State Bank wants to keep you and your family safe and at peace. Contact us today if you have about setting up a savings account for your children’s security.