{"id":8413,"date":"2023-07-19T12:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-07-19T09:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.eset.ee\/et\/2023\/07\/19\/child-identity-theft-how-do-i-keep-my-kids-personal-data-safe\/"},"modified":"2023-07-19T12:00:00","modified_gmt":"2023-07-19T09:00:00","slug":"child-identity-theft-how-do-i-keep-my-kids-personal-data-safe","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.eset.ee\/et\/en\/2023\/07\/19\/child-identity-theft-how-do-i-keep-my-kids-personal-data-safe\/","title":{"rendered":"Child identity theft: how do I keep my kids\u2019 personal data safe?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span lang=\"EN-US\">Total identity fraud losses in the US <a href=\"https:\/\/javelinstrategy.com\/press-release\/identity-fraud-losses-totaled-43-billion-2022-affecting-40-million-us-adults\">were estimated<\/a> at a whopping $43bn last year. While many of us are getting savvier about how we protect our personal information online, can we say the same about our children\u2019s data? Child identity theft is more common than you might think. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.prweb.com\/releases\/1_7_million_u_s_children_fell_victim_to_data_breaches_according_to_javelins_2022_child_identity_fraud_study\/prweb18981802.htm\">Almost a million<\/a> US children were victims in 2022, with incidents costing an average of $1,128 per household and taking 16 hours to resolve. That amounts to a problem costing Americans over $1bn annually.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span lang=\"EN-US\">This alone should be enough to focus our minds on the task in hand. So why is kids\u2019 personal information in such high demand, how is it getting stolen and what can parents do to stop it?<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span lang=\"EN-US\">A billion-dollar problem<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span lang=\"EN-US\">Fraudsters use children\u2019s identity data for many of the same ends as they do adults\u2019 information:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span>Opening bank accounts to use in money laundering and scams<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span lang=\"EN-US\">Opening new credit card accounts in order to run up debt<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span lang=\"EN-US\">Fraudulently obtaining welfare benefits and loans<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span lang=\"EN-US\">Why are youngsters\u2019 details so popular among the criminal fraternity? A big part of the attraction is the fact that children typically don\u2019t have bad credit ratings. That means the fraudster has greater confidence that their attempts to monetize stolen identity data will not be blocked by banks or government agencies. The victim themself is also less likely to notice that their identity has been stolen, because\u2014even if they have one \u2013 kids won\u2019t be primed to regularly check their bank account or credit report. Scams may go unnoticed for years.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span lang=\"EN-US\">Another popular technique which lends itself well to child identity data is synthetic fraud. This is when a scammer combines personal data from several sources: some real, some fake. A brand-new identity is thus created using that all-important child data to ensure a clean credit history.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span lang=\"EN-US\">How child ID theft happens<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span lang=\"EN-US\">The cybercrime underground is a well-oiled machine where different actors have different roles. Cybercriminals will typically harvest personal data and then <a href=\"https:\/\/www.welivesecurity.com\/2019\/01\/31\/cybercrime-black-markets-dark-web-services-and-prices\/\">sell it on dark web marketplaces<\/a> and forums, for fraudsters to use in follow-on attacks. Once again, the methods for obtaining this data are similar to those used to compromise adults. They include:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong><span lang=\"EN-US\">Phishing <\/span><\/strong><span lang=\"EN-US\">via email, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.welivesecurity.com\/2023\/03\/10\/common-whatsapp-scams-how-avoid\/\">social media<\/a> or even <a href=\"https:\/\/www.welivesecurity.com\/2021\/01\/22\/why-do-we-fall-sms-phishing-scams-so-easily\/\">text<\/a>. Individuals are lured to click on malicious links, potentially installing information-stealing malware, or else tricked into handing over their personal details \u2013 perhaps to enter a non-existent prize draw.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><strong><span lang=\"EN-US\">Third-party breaches<\/span><\/strong><span lang=\"EN-US\">. Roughly <a href=\"https:\/\/www.prweb.com\/releases\/1_7_million_u_s_children_fell_victim_to_data_breaches_according_to_javelins_2022_child_identity_fraud_study\/prweb18981802.htm\">1.7 million American children<\/a>, or 1 in every 43, had their personal information exposed and potentially compromised via a data breach last year, due to no fault of their own.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><strong><span lang=\"EN-US\">Account takeover: <\/span><\/strong><span lang=\"EN-US\">Gaming, social media and even online learning accounts can be valuable troves of identity information. They can be compromised via <a href=\"https:\/\/www.welivesecurity.com\/2022\/01\/05\/5-ways-hackers-steal-passwords-how-stop-them\/\">phishing attacks, brute-force password cracking\/guessing and other techniques<\/a>.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><strong><span lang=\"EN-US\">Oversharing on social media: <\/span><\/strong><span lang=\"EN-US\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.welivesecurity.com\/2019\/09\/11\/selfies-kids-guide-parents\/\">Parents can be as guilty as their kids<\/a> of sharing too much personal information via social accounts. Even birth dates and details about their schooling can be weaponized in follow-on scams designed to elicit more info.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><strong><span lang=\"EN-US\">Family members:<\/span><\/strong><span lang=\"EN-US\"> Familial fraud is shockingly common. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.prweb.com\/releases\/1_7_million_u_s_children_fell_victim_to_data_breaches_according_to_javelins_2022_child_identity_fraud_study\/prweb18981802.htm\">In an estimated<\/a> 67% of households that experience child identity fraud, the victim personally knew the perpetrator(s). Close-up access to sensitive documents gives these family members the perfect opportunity, and an assumption of innocence means fraud can go undetected for years.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><strong><span lang=\"EN-US\">Physical theft: <\/span><\/strong><span lang=\"EN-US\">The old ways are still popular, such as seizing documents from the trash or even direct from the mail.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><span lang=\"EN-US\">How to keep your child\u2019s identity safe<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span lang=\"EN-US\">Fortunately, several tried-and-tested best practices can have a significant positive impact on child identity risk, and need not be too onerous. They include:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span lang=\"EN-US\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.welivesecurity.com\/2018\/06\/29\/oversharing-social-media\/\">Avoid oversharing information<\/a> about your child on social media. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.welivesecurity.com\/2020\/07\/07\/raising-children-social-media-limelight-pause-before-post\/\">Sharenting is best avoided<\/a>, unless accounts are well locked down.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span lang=\"EN-US\">Monitor for unusual activity on your child\u2019s accounts (bank, phone, etc.).<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span lang=\"EN-US\">Consider a credit freeze for your child with each of the three US credit bureaus (Experian, TransUnion and Equifax). This means banks and other providers would not be able to issue loans\/credit in your child\u2019s name.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span lang=\"EN-US\">Keep all household machines\/devices updated with the latest patches and anti-malware software.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span lang=\"EN-US\">Explain to your children the dangers of oversharing on social media, phishing attacks or identity theft.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span lang=\"EN-US\">Limit the number of accounts\/services your child signs up for. Put in your details where necessary instead.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><span lang=\"EN-US\">Spot the warning signs<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span lang=\"EN-US\">Alongside preventative measures it makes sense to stay alert to the prospect of fraud attempts using your children\u2019s identity data. The following are tell-tale signs something may be wrong:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span lang=\"EN-US\">Unusual or unexpected bills\/statements arrive addressed to your child.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span lang=\"EN-US\">Welfare benefits are denied because the government claims they\u2019ve already been paid to your child\u2019s Social Security number.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span lang=\"EN-US\">IRS letters demanding taxes from your child.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span lang=\"EN-US\">Bank account applications are rejected due to poor credit history.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span lang=\"EN-US\">Collection agencies start calling asking to speak to your child.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><span lang=\"EN-US\">What to do in a worst-case scenario<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span lang=\"EN-US\">If the worst happens, it\u2019s important to take action quickly. Get a credit report for your child and if there\u2019s anything there, put an immediate freeze on it. Next up:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span>Report the incident <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.identitytheft.gov\/#\/\">to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC)<\/a><span>.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span>Report the incident to the police.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span>Notify all three credit bureaus.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span>Notify any organization where your child\u2019s info has been used to open a fraudulent account. Ask them to close it and get written confirmation that your child is not responsible for it.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span lang=\"EN-US\">Identity fraud is a part of life \u2013 sadly for our children too. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.welivesecurity.com\/2017\/06\/01\/generation-connected-kids\/\">Being a responsible parent in the digital age<\/a> may require more effort than it did 20 years ago. But doing so is really non-negotiable.<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p><em><span lang=\"EN-US\">For more <a href=\"https:\/\/www.welivesecurity.com\/2022\/09\/23\/5-tips-help-children-navigate-internet-safely\/\">do\u2019s and don\u2019ts on the internet<\/a>, head over also to <a href=\"https:\/\/saferkidsonline.eset.com\/?utm_source=welivesecurity.com&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_campaign=autotagging&amp;utm_content=kids-online&amp;utm_term=en\">Safer Kids Online<\/a>. Also, make sure to watch \u2018<a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/playlist?list=PLP8zm262B3MVc-_mgl27DRiGarge_M7dQ\">Hey PUG<\/a>\u2018, ESET\u2019s new animated series teaching kids to recognize online threats.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p class=\"wls-source\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.welivesecurity.com\/en\/kids-online\/child-identity-theft-how-keep-kids-personal-data-safe\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Read the full analysis on WeLiveSecurity \u2192<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Why is kids\u2019 personal information in high demand, how do criminals steal it, and what can parents do to help prevent child identity theft?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":8414,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2902],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8413","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-home-family"],"acf":[],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.eset.ee\/et\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8413","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.eset.ee\/et\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.eset.ee\/et\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.eset.ee\/et\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.eset.ee\/et\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8413"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blog.eset.ee\/et\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8413\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.eset.ee\/et\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8414"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.eset.ee\/et\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8413"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.eset.ee\/et\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8413"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.eset.ee\/et\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8413"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}