Citizens for Children's Safe ID

Today nationwide, thousands of innocent children are victimized by fraudulent use of their Social Security number and identity. Estimates are 1 in 10 children are ALREADY victims. Children who have been victims of identity theft have faced severe financial consequences as a result. Since the underlying compromise may go on undetected for many years, the potential for the child to be associated with bad debt amounting to 10s or 100s of thousands of dollars is daunting. Children and their families may spend years – and thousands of dollars – to completely resolve the problem.

How is this possible? Credit reporting agencies do not verify the age of the credit applicant. The fact that credit issuers often do not request adequate proof of identity is a glaring weakness in our credit system. In today’s online world, everything from credit applications to funding can occur at a distance.

How does this happen? An identity thief compromises a child’s Social Security Number and attaches a fictitious name and birth date with it. The thief then establishes a new credit profile by applying for credit through an authorized user or by working with a data furnisher.

Who is vulnerable? All children from newborn to age 18 are at risk. Citizens for Safe ID is petitioning members of Congress to introduce a legislative initiative that would require the Social Security Administration, the U.S. Department of Commerce, the Office of the Inspector General, the National Technical Information Service, and any other responsible federal agency, to create an index of child social security numbers that would be referenced to dramatically reduce child identity theft.

Federally regulated Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion would be among national organizations approved and required to reference the index prior to opening any credit under a child’s Social Security number. It’s time for Congress to introduce legislation to close this gap.