Information

A parent is always looking out for their children. We make sure we know where they are at all times and we want to know who all of their friends are. Maybe we should also make sure they are not victims of Identity Theft.


Just as you should check your credit, looking for errors and possible Identity Theft, you should check your children's credit report every few years.


Checking your child's credit is not the same as checking yours. The main reason is that credit reporting agencies don't want anyone but you to checking your own credit report. Children don't often ask for a credit report on their own, so there are special ways of performing this task.



To do this, you must contact each of the three credit bureaus (Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion) usually in writing. Privacy laws do not allow children under 13 to enter personally identifiable information on web pages.



You can send all of the required information via certified mail, return receipt requested, but I find it just as cheap and easy to use priority mail with tracking (you can even print the labels at home and save the cost of the tracking via usps.com). Keep your tracking information, as that will have the date sent and received (for reference, if needed). For disputing purposes, you also need to track the time it takes to receive a response. You willl need to include documentation that proves you are the parent, such as a photocopy of a drivers license and a copy of the child's birth certificate.

I have heard that credit bureaus do no knowingly keep credit reports on persons younger than 13 years old. The expected result should be a letter stating "nothing on file" for your child.

Your child can request his or her own credit report online if they are at least 14 years of age. Use the FTC's official annualcreditreport.com

TransUnion is the easiest. They provide an online form for you to fill out. It is available at TransUnion Personal: Child Indentity Theft.

For Experian, you will need to print and fill out this form and include the requested documentation.
Send your request to:
Experian
PO Box 9554
Allen, TX 75013

Equifax has no online form to fill out, but you can write to them including the information and documents mentioned above.
Equifax Minor Child Department
P.O. Box 105139
Atlanta, Georgia 30348

Current Google News Items

  • child idenity theft - Google News

    AFL-CIO Leaders And Thier Lies
    Bluffton Today (blog)
    Illegals are voting and using thier own siblings and childrens social security numbers ( If you read my blog its in there) this is Idenity Theft and is a felony. We need an " Idenity Theft Protection Act," and we need to start looking at birthdates ...