CHILDIDENTITYTHEFT
New Evidence Indicates Identity Thieves are TargetingChildren for Unused Social Security Numbers
By Richard Power,
Distinguished Fellow, Carnegie Mellon CyLab

www.cylab.cmu.edu

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
In the cyber-centric world of the 21st Century,
parents have many risks and threats to ponder
as they attempt to provide a safe present and asecure future for their children. Each day, a new
danger seems to capture the headlines, fromexposure to online predators to the cyber-bullying
by schoolmates. Meanwhile, those parents arelooking over their own shoulders, careful to guard
against the crime of identity theft, so that they
can continue to provide that safe present, and tobuild that secure future. Well, it just got worse.
Because, as this report suggests, it is possible thatyou could be quite effective at warding off online
predators and cyber-bullies, as well as proving
quite successful at guarding your own hardearned good credit, only to find that your child’s
identity has been violated, and your family’s
financial and emotional well-being threatened in
an almost inconceivable way.

What would you do if your child was in foreclosure
on a home in another state? Wouldn’t you want toknow if your child had run up a huge utility billacross town?
These are not theoretical questions, these are reallife questions that the parents and guardians ofchildren in this report have been forced to cometo grips with. In Child Identity Theft, you will finda hard look at what child identity theft means,including an analysis of over 4,000 incidents ofchild identity theft, and the actual stories of several
victims. The report also lists recommendations forpreventative measures that should be taken byboth public and private sector institutions, as wellas protective steps for parents to take directly.

WHAT WOULD YOU DO IF YOUR
CHILD WAS IN FORECLOSURE

ON A HOME IN ANOTHER STATE?

Child Identity Theft 2

KEY POINTS INCLUDE

1
2
3
4
5

First large child ID theft report ever published, based on identity protectionscans of over 40,000 U.S. children.

Unused Social Security numbers are uniquely valuable as thieves can pair themwith any name and birth date. This is particularly useful for illegal immigration.
A child’s identity is a blank slate, and the probability of discovery is low, as
the child will not be using it for a long period of time. Parents typically don’t
monitor their children’s identities.
The potential impact on the child’s future is profound; it could destroy ordamage a child’s ability to win approval on student loans, acquire a mobile
phone, obtain a job or secure a place to live.
The primary drivers for such attacks are illegal immigration (e.g., to obtain false
IDs for employment), organized crime (e.g., to engage in financial fraud) andfriends and family (e.g., to circumvent bad credit ratings, etc.).

parents** typically don’t monitor their children’s identities

Child Identity Theft 3

KEY FINDINGS INCLUDE

1

2

3

4

4,311 or 10.2%of the children
in the report
had someone
else using theirSocial Security
number – 51
times higher
than the 0.2%
rate for adults
in the same
population

Child IDs
were used
to purchasehomes andautomobiles,
open credit
card accounts,
secureemployment
and obtaindriver’s licenses

The largest
fraud($725,000) was
committed
against a 16
year old girlThe youngest
victim was fivemonths old;
303 victims
were under theage of five

4,311 or 10.2%** of the children in the report had someone elseusing their Social Security numberChild Identity Theft 4

METHODOLOGYThis child identity theft report is not based on
survey results. It is based on identity protectionscans on 42,232 children (age 18 and under) in
the U.S during 2009-2010. This pool of 42,232
child identities includes everyone under 18 in a
database of over 800,000 identity records.
The participants were enrolled in the Debix
AllClear ID Protection Network after receiving
notice that their personal information may
have been compromised during a data breach.
Excluded from this report were children and adults
who were affected by data breaches that resulted
in targeted attacks against the population.
Note: The attacks do not appear related to thedata breach events. For example, 78% of the childattacks occurred prior to the data breach events.
Moreover, the attack rate for the adults affectedby these same data breaches is very low at 0.2% below the national average of 1% for the general
population (Source: Javelin 2010).
This is a non-scientific report. The data does notproject or imply any estimate of total number ofchild identity theft incidents, or what percent ofchildren’s identities are stolen, or what percent
of total number of identity theft incidents
involve children.
What this data does is provide some disturbing
evidence that identity thieves are targetingchildren due to the unique value of unused Social
Security numbers. It highlights some serious risks
and threats, and raises some serious questions
that should be the subject of a scientific study,e.g., to determine the scope of the problem, andhow it is trending.

what
this
data
does*
* is provide some
disturbing evidence
that identity thieves
are targeting children
due to the uniquevalue of unused Social
Security numbers.

Child Identity Theft 5

INTRODUCTION
OVER FOUR THOUSAND CHILDREN’S IDENTITIES VIOLATED
Identity theft is a perennial crime that has takenon new dimensions in the Information Age. It is nolonger a one-on-one crime dependent upon a lost
social security card or a carelessly discarded credit
card receipt. Industrialized by organized cybercriminals, 21st Century identity theft is global in
its reach and exhaustive in its applications. For
the individual who has been victimized, 21stCentury identity theft can prove devastating in its
consequences.
The numbers are shifting sands.
Hundreds of millions of identities are exposed
every year; tens of millions of these identities are
exploited in the commission of financial fraud.
In this report, we will focus on just a few thousandof these exposed identities.

They have a common characteristic, one thatis both startling and disturbing: these several
thousand identities belong to children.
In 2008, Debix the provider of AllClear ID, releaseda small Child Identity Theft Study based on 500
cases. This follow-up report is the largest child
identity theft report ever published. The data we
explore in this 2011 report is based on identity
scans of over 40,000 children, and the resulting
investigations that uncovered over 4,000 possible
cases of child identity theft.
These 4,000+ cases raise some compellingquestions.
In this brief report, we will provide some context,
then explore the data and its implications, andconclude with some recommendations.

But there is something different about this handfulof sand grains.

HUNDREDS OF MILLIONSOF IDENTITIES ARE EXPOSED EVERY YEAR.

Child Identity Theft 6

IDENTITY CRISIS
In 2009, the American Bankers Association
released a survey that indicated that “for the
first time, more bank customers (25%) prefer todo their banking online compared to any othermethod. ABA, 9-21-09
In January 2011, Starbucks launched a mobile
payment program in all U.S. company-operated
stores, allowing customers to pay for in-store
purchases with BlackBerrys and iPhones. San
Francisco Chronicle, 1-19-11
The ease of use with which you can now shop
online, bank online, make travel arrangements
online, pay your bills online, and pursue yourpersonal interests online, is also available to thecyber criminal.
According to the U.S. Department of Justice, anestimated 11.7 million persons, representing five
percent of all persons age 16 or older in the UnitedStates, were victims of identity theft between
2006 and 2008. These 11.7 million instances
resulted in total financial losses of over $17 billion.
But some of the cost is not quantifiable. Cleaning
up after being victimized by identity thieves canbe painful and time-consuming: “An estimated
27 percent spent more than a month clearing up
the problems. Victims who spent more than six
months resolving the problems associated with
the identity theft were more likely to report thatthe experience was severely distressing… Overall,about 20 percent of victims described the identity
theft as severely distressing.” 11.7 million persons
reported identity theft victimization in 2008, US
Department of Justice, 12-16-10
Another reliable source of data is the Identity
Theft Resource Center (ITRC). Its 2010 Breach List
documents 662 breaches, in which 16,167,542
identities were exposed. Information Week, 1-4-11
Of course, this number includes only thosebreaches reported by credible sources. The total
number is likely higher, perhaps much higher.
The ITRC report only reflects events publicly
acknowledged. There are other significant events,
which have gone unreported; there are also
likely to be events that were not even detected.
Furthermore, the ITRC total of 16,167,542
identities exposed could easily be dwarfed bya single significant event; for example, in 2009,
over 130 million credit and debit card numbers
were breached in the Heartland hack, andapproximately 76 million U.S. military veterans
records were exposed in an accidental breachinvolving a recycled disk drive.
The numbers are shifting sands.
But what does this handful of sand grains tell us,
what are the implications of these 4,000 plus cases
involving the exposure of child identity?

11.7 million

persons reported identity theft victimization in 2008

Child Identity Theft 7

CHILDHOOD’S END
From cyber bullying to sexting to prowling
predators, the Information Age has brought withit a new spectrum of risks and threats for parents
to guard their children against, and now thatspectrum of threats has expanded to include
child identity theft.

“At least three Prince Edward Island teens havebeen contacted on Facebook by a fake talent scout
promising them a career as a model in exchange
for photos of themselves in lingerie, incidents thathighlight the risk to children who expose theirpersonal details online.” National Post, 1-17-11

The online experience has changed childhood,for both better and worse. It enables children to
explore the life of the world, but without proper
precautions, it also enables the world to explore
your child’s life.

“A pedophile has been arrested for allegedly
breaching a restraining order and contacting
children on Facebook. The arrest in Adelaide has
prompted a police warning to parents to talk totheir children about using the Internet safely.”
Adelaide Now, 12-23-10

Consider a random sampling of recent surveys
and news stories:“Online bullying is a problem that affects almost
half of all American teens, according to the
National Crime Prevention Council. In a recent
survey conducted by the Cyberbullying ResearchCenter, 20 percent of middle-school students
admitted to “seriously thinking about attempting
suicide” as a result of online bullying.” MSNBC,
3/9/11“More young children know how to play a
computer game (58%) than ride a bike unaided(52%). While a quarter of young children can open a
web browser window, just 20% can swim unaided.
Incredibly, while over two-thirds (69%) of 2-5 year
olds can operate a computer mouse, just 17% cantie their own shoelaces.” Biz Report, 1-20-11“More than a quarter of young people have been
involved in sexting in some form, an AssociatedPress-MTV poll found. … Half of all young people
said they have been targets of digital bullying.”
Associated Press, 12-3-10“Four out of five children can’t tell when they aretalking to an adult posing as a child on the internet,
according to researchers working on software to
track pedophiles online.” Science Daily, 6-2-10“High School students have sued the Lower
Merion School District in Philadelphia for spyingon them using their laptops’ built-in cameras.
School administrators activated the webcams
remotely and recorded students’ activities athome.” Gizmodo, 2-18-10
Dena Haritos Tsamitis, CyLab’s Director of Education, Training and Outreach, and the developer of
www.MySecureCyberspace.com, a free educational
resource on cyber security and privacy for children and their parents, commented that “With increased cyberawareness, individuals are seeking
ways to secure their personal financial information more than ever before. Based on this report,
it’s clear they need to go further and extend that
protection for their children. Parents are alreadystruggling to handle the threats of cyberspace,including securing their own computers and talking with their children about the many risks in cyberspace from online predators to cyberbullying.
The trend in child identity theft is added weighton their shoulders. Although it will be a challenge
for them to manage, it is essential to safeguarding
their children’s futures. “And now, to this troubling litany, add the issue ofchild identity theft.

Child Identity Theft 8

A GLIMPSE INTO WHAT THE DATA REVEALSThe data examined for this report includes theidentities of 42,232 minors.
Minors whose identities showed up in the wrong
places ranged from infancy to 18:•

Cases in which a child’s SSN appeared in utility
service records: 1,767•

Cases in which a child’s SSN appeared inrecords related to property assessments, deeds,
mortgages and foreclosures: 537•

Cases involving identities of minors 5 andunder: 303•

Cases in which a child’s SSN appeared in driver’s
license records: 415•

Cases involving identities of minors from 6 to
10: 826•

Cases in which a child’s SSN appeared in vehicle
registration records: 235•

Cases involving identities of minors from 11 to
14: 1212•

Cases involving identities of minors from 15 to
18: 1849

Some compelling data points emerge from thishandful of sand grains, including:•Cases with suspect name associated with achild’s Social Security number (SSN): 5,497 (Note:
There are many cases with more than one
suspect attached to a single child’s identity. Not
only is the child’s ID stolen, it is shared.)•

Cases in which child’s SSN appeared in loan andcredit account records: 6,948 (Note: Within eachcase, there can be multiple records connected to
one child.)

There is another fascinating and disturbing
number that jumps out while going throughthe data. The child ID theft rates stand in stark
contrast to adult ID theft rates from the same
security breach population. 10.2% (4,311) of these
42,232 minor’s Social Security numbers had loan,
property, utility and other accounts associatedwith them. This is fifty-one (51) times higher thanthe 0.2% identity theft rate for adults in the same
population over the same period – 633 of the347,362 adults had someone else use their Social
Security number used to commit fraud.
Are child Social Security numbers a hot commodity? Are cyber criminals and other fraudsters
seeking them out? Are child IDs preferable forfraudsters?

children had 51 times
higher attack rate than adults

Child Identity Theft 9

GRAPHS & CHARTS
10.2% of Child
Identities Scanned
Exhibited Evidenceof Identity Theft
Total: 42,232 Minors
Identities Scanned
Time Period: 10/09 to 11/10

Age Distribution:
Possible Cases ofChild Identity Theft
Total: 4,311 cases
Note: Age data not available
on 121 children
AGE DISTRIBUTION
5 and Under
6 to 1011 to 14
15 to 18

Rate of Child Attacks(10.2%) Vs. Rate of
Adult Attacks (0.2%)
The chart to the right is basedon 663 attacks against 347,362
adults and 4,311 attacks
against 42,232 children, out ofa total population of 351,673(Source: Debix AllClear ID)

ACTUAL
303
826
1,212
1,849

PERCENTAGE
7%
19%
28%
43%

51X

Children weretargeted
51 times more
frequently
than adults
1X

Child Identity Theft 10

GRAPHS & CHARTSChild Identity Theft
Investigation Results
Total: 4,311
Note: File Contamination/
Mixed File indicates events
caused by mistakes inreporting, not fraud. The
impact to the child is the same
as fraud in that the child isunable to utilize their SSN; it isassigned to someone else.
TYPE
Fraud
File Contamination/Mixed FileACTUAL
3,280
1,031

PERCENTAGE
76%
24%RECORD TYPE
Loan & Credit Accounts
Utility

ACTUAL
6,948
1,767

PERCENTAGE
70%18%Property Assessments, Deeds,
Mortgages, Foreclosures

537

5%

Driver’s License
Vehicle Registration

415
235

4%
2%

Types of Records
Involved in Child
Identity Theft Cases
Total: 4,311
Note: Data includes cases inwhich child may be affectedby more than one type ofidentity theft, resulting in ahigher total of record types
than children.

Child Identity Theft 11

IMPLICATIONS AND CONSEQUENCES
Although the data’s statistical significance is
yet to be determined, it is certainly profoundly
significant on a practical, human level to thethousands of children and families who havethus been victimized. Furthermore, from myperspective, having tracked the evolution of
cyber crime over two decades, it is only common
sense to surmise that the problem goes beyond
those breached accounts included in this report,
and that there are many thousands more children
and their families at risk.

Where would you turn? What would the longterm consequences be for you and your child?
What would it take to undo the damage done?
How would you know such a crime had occurred?

But even if it were only one child, what if that childwere yours?

CyLab researcher Alessandro Acquisti, co-authorof the blockbuster paper, Predicting Social
Security Numbers from Public Data Proceedingsof the National Academy of Science, July 7, 2009,
explains: “In our investigation of the predictabilityof Social Security numbers we found evidenceof two trends that, combined, are particularly
worrisome: criminals are increasingly targeting
minors’ (even infants’) SSNs for identity theft, andthe SSNs of younger US residents are much easierto predict than the SSNs of those born before the1990s. Ultimately, this reminds us that our current
identity-verification infrastructure is flawed
and vulnerable, as it relies on authentication of
numbers too widely available and too easy tocompromise.”

Wouldn’t you want to know your child was inforeclosure on a home in another state? Wouldn’t
you want to know if your child had run up ahuge utility bill across town? Wouldn’t you wantto know that your child had a hunting license?
Wouldn’t you want to know that your child had
a driver’s license and a car registered in his or her
name?
This AllClear ID data raises some serious questions.
Wouldn’t you want to know how this happened?
And who was responsible? Was it the result of asecurity breach at a bank or a medical center oran online social media site? Was the perpetrator apetty cyber criminal or an organized cyber crime
syndicate operating beyond our borders? Or
was the perpetrator perhaps an insider, a family
member or a close friend or a childcare worker?
What recourse would you have?

The data raises broader societal questions as well.
How widespread is the problem? And is it growing?
What should be done governmentally? Whatshould be done organizationally? What should bedone within families? There is other evidence thatchild identity is an issue that demands further study.

The Social Security Administration will begin assigning
randomized number series http://www.ssa.gov/employer/
randomizationfaqs.html as of June 25, 2011. Unfortunately,
the more predictable Social Security numbers will remain in
effect for individuals born before June 25, 2011.

Child Identity Theft 12

STORIES FROM VICTIMS OF CHILD ID THEFT
The impact of child identity theft can prove
substantial to both adults and children. For parents
and guardians, it means a lot of time, money, andeffort spent to clear the child’s name. For children,
if it’s not discovered in time, it could mean the lossof educational and job opportunities, and starting
off adulthood at a serious disadvantage – withsomeone else’s bad credit in your name.

Then, the home loans went into default and thebank foreclosed. Additionally, a credit accountwith over $2,000 in unpaid charges went intocollections. His parents filed a police report andthe fraud was assessed at over $607,000.

Here are some stories from real-life cases
investigated by AllClear ID.

“I was very upset; you just don’t think someone
will use your child’s identity,” Nathan’s father said.
“He was only three years old when somebody
started using it, and the thought of that made me
sick to my stomach.”

CHRIS FROM ARIZONARESOLUTION: AllClear ID has restored Nathan’s
identity and cleared his credit report.

AllClear ID discovered that a 17-year-old girl has
over $725,000 in debt. Chris’s daughter’s Social
Security number was linked to eight different
suspects living in border states. The suspects
opened 42 open accounts including mortgages,
auto loans, credit cards, and bills in collections
including medical, credit cards, and utilities.
STATUS: The case is in progress.

NATHAN FROM KENTUCKY
Nathan, a 14-year-old, had a credit history thatwent back more than 10 years. Several credit
cards and a foreclosed mortgage were alreadyin his credit history, all from a suspect living in
California. The thief established good credit for the
first 10 years and was able to finance a $605,000
home in CA through first and second mortgages.
He also used the boy’s SSN to open several credit
accounts.

GREG FROM WASHINGTON
Greg discovered that the misuse of his 18-year-old
daughter’s Social Security number spanned her
entire lifetime, due to an accidental transpositionof some of the numbers. Although there was no
malice, Greg’s daughter still had a credit file using
her SSN with over $325,000 in debt. This issue put
their plans for college loans and scholarships injeopardy.
Greg contacted law enforcement, but the police
could not issue a complaint without a credit report.
To further complicate matters, the credit agency
denied Greg’s request to pull a report because
the owner was a minor.
“My oldest [daughter] just graduated [fromcollege],” Greg said. “We thought this should bea piece of cake. But especially for my younger
daughter, it would have been devastating if it hurt
her chances of getting into college.”Child Identity Theft 13

STORIES FROM VICTIMS OF CHILD ID THEFTCONTINUEDRESOLUTION: AllClear ID worked with the creditorsand cleared the fraudulent accounts from theminor’s file, and his daughter was able to file her
student loan applications on time.

STEPHANIE FROM IDAHOAllClear ID discovered that Stephanie, a minor,
had a credit file with unpaid debt. The suspectused Stephanie’s Social Security number toopen two different accounts with mobile phonecompanies, leaving over $1,000 in unpaid bills.
The unpaid bills had moved into collections andwere reported to the credit bureaus – establishinga history of bad credit for Stephanie.
RESOLUTION: AllClear ID worked with Stephanie’s
parents to file police reports and restore her credit
file and identity.

LINDSEY FROM TEXAS
Lindsey applied for an internship during college,
and after accepting an offer, a background checkrevealed someone was using her Social Security
number for employment – and had been formany years – accidentally transposing some of thenumbers. Lindsey was classified “unemployable”
because she did not “own” her SSN. She spentmonths resolving issues with credit bureaus, theSocial Security Administration, and her employer.
“It was like a full-time job,” Lindsay recalled. “Ispent hours and hours doing paperwork, standingin line, and sitting on the phone computers.
I’m extremely careful now…I check my credit
incessantly.”
RESOLUTION: Her identity was restored and she
was able to accept the internship months later.

GARY FROM OHIO
AllClear ID learned that 12 people living in borderstates were using Gary’s 17-year-old son’s Social
Security number to obtain credit, utilities andemployment. The thieves racked up over $58,000
in bad debt including a $30,000+ car, thousandsin an unpaid apartment lease, and over $23,000 in
unpaid credit card bills.
RESOLUTION: AllClear ID worked with law
enforcement to identify the suspects, and one wasarrested and deported for using an SSN to illegally
gain employment.

Child Identity Theft 14

BELIEVE IT OR NOT...
HERE ARE SOME STRANGER THAN FICTION FACTS EVERY PARENT SHOULD KNOW.

1
2
3
4
5
6
7

Many commercial and public sector entities do not treat Social Security numbers as
unique identifiers. It is possible for one SSN to appear on more than one credit file,
employment report, criminal history – all mapped to different names.
One reason that minor SSNs are so valuable is that there is currently no process fororganizations, like an employer or creditor, to check what name and birth date is officiallyattached to that SSN. As long as an identity thief has a SSN with a clean history, the thief
can attach any name and date of birth to it.
In some cases, parents can open utility bills under their child’s name and SSN to takeadvantage of the child’s clean SSN. Most parents do not intend to harm their child’s future,but in fact, this is identity theft.

When parents opt their children out of pre-approved credit card offers, it actually creates acredit file for the minor. These files cannot be deleted once created, but can be suppressed
upon request of the parent. Parents need to contact each credit bureau regarding
suppressing their child’s file.

When parents try to deal with creditors to clean up issues, the creditors can ask to speak to
the child – children as young as 1-2 years old – to verify their identity. Obviously creditors
don’t get very far using this method!
Children with the same name as a parent are frequently mixed up with their parents’ credit
file, causing them to have to deal with their same-name parents’ credit – and any related
issues. Mix-ups involving names can occur for different reasons including:• Certain information is reported and does not contain a SSN (for example, civil judgments)• Collection agencies have been known to report debts only under name and address
While it is not a requirement for children to obtain SSNs, many hospitals include applying
for an SSN as one of the steps for parents to complete before leaving the hospital with
their newborn.

Child Identity Theft 15

RECOMMENDATIONS
As you can see the AllClear ID data raises a lotof disturbing questions; disturbing questions
for which substantive answers should be found.
Therefore, my first recommendation is that thisissue be the subject of academic research to learn
more and better evaluate the issues involved.
But whether or not these questions are answered,certain steps should be taken, because evena few thousand cases are of concern when
we are dealing with the future financial securityof children (and perhaps even their current
safety), including:•Creditors and other businesses need to do a
better job of authorizing accounts. There isalso a known gap regarding the use of SSN as
default national ID. The SSA does not share thenames and date of birth with creditors and otherauthorizing agents, so they are left to guess thatthe person with the SSN is the rightful owner.
–

The ITRC has proposed one way for government
agencies and organizations to work together wouldbe “1710 Database” that would hold the name, Social
Security number and birth month/year of every childup to the age of 17 years and 10 months. Creditors
could check the database to see if credit applicants
are using a minor’s information. The database would
be run with coordination from the Social Security
Administration, state motor vehicle departments,
and the three credit reporting agencies, as suggested
by Jay Foley, executive director of the ITRC. The
database would be of no value to marketers because
it wouldn’t contain addresses.

•

Public service resources that provide guidance
for individuals on identity theft prevention andmitigation, etc., should be revised and expanded
to incorporate guidance on the particular issueof child identity theft and what is required ofparents or guardians.

•

Organizational strategies for dealing withthe threat of identity theft among customers,
employees, etc., should be revised and expanded
to address the particular issue of child identity

theft and what is required of the enterprise oragency to deal with the threat.
•

Cyber security awareness and education
campaigns in both the public and private sectors
should incorporate information on the threatof child identity theft, and what parents andguardians need to know and do.

•Parents need to do cyber risk assessment forchildren who are, or will be going online, anddevelop risk mitigation plans for their online
activities. Child identity theft is among numerous
risks and threats that factor into the assessment.
Also, just as one monitors one’s own financial
identity, through reviewing credit bureau
reports, etc., one should monitor the SSN, etc., ofany dependent minors.

AllClear ID
data raises
a lot of
disturbing
questions** disturbing questions forwhich substantive answers
should be found.

Child Identity Theft 16

TIPS TO PROTECT YOUR CHILD’S IDENTITY
As a parent or guardian, there are some easy steps
to take to lessen the chance of your child falling
victim to fraud:•

Watch for mail in your child’s name: If you begin
receiving pre-approved credit cards or other
unsolicited financial offers in your child’s name,it is an indicator that your child may have an
open credit file.

•

Teach your child about identity theft and online
safety: Talk to your child about the dangers ofsharing personal data online. Children surfing
the web are particularly vulnerable to exposing
personal information in chat rooms or on social
networking sites. Make sure children understandthe importance of keeping this data private.

•

Don’t make your child susceptible to “friendly”
identity theft: Don’t ever use your child’s nameto open utility or other credit accounts. Protect
your child’s personal information by keeping it
locked up in your home where visitors cannot
access it.

•

Keep your child’s sensitive documents safe:
Gauge your child’s level of responsibility before
you share banking and credit information
with them, even accounts in their name. Most
children will need their Social Security card when
they go off to college, but make sure they know
to keep their card in a safe place rather thancarry it around in a wallet or purse.

•

Sign up for a free service like AllClear ID that will
repair your child’s identity at no cost if it is stolen.

Taking proactive measures to prevent childhood
identity theft provides a sense of relief andsecurity that cannot be underestimated. By
protecting your child’s identity, you are removing
the potential for an enormous amount of sufferingand hardship when they reach adulthood andencounter the problem on their own. Enrolling incollege, beginning a career, starting a family – allbecome immensely difficult when your child isdigging out from under the burden of restoringhis or her credit history and reclaiming his or
her identity.

TAKING PROACTIVE MEASURES TOPREVENT CHILDHOOD IDENTITY THEFTPROVIDES A SENSE OF RELIEF THATCANNOT BE UNDERESTIMATED.

Child Identity Theft 17

CONCLUSION
If it were only one child, it would be one too many.
But this report documents over four thousandchildren, and there are likely many more.
This report offers disturbing evidence concerning
the nature and appeal of child identity theft, andhighlights some real risks and threats, e.g.:•••

10.2% is a significant rate and is dramaticallyhigher than the attack rate for adults. Parents
need to think about their children’s future,and take the time to look into this frequently
overlooked problem
Take steps to protect your children, especially inadvance of key financial milestones like student
loans, college, first job, apartment rental
Even though some identity theft results from
non-malicious things like mixed credit files, theresults are the same for parents and children. All
child identity theft can result in credit, financial,and identity issues that greatly impact a child’s
future including school loans, job opportunities,
and more

It also raise some serious questions that should be
the subject of a scientific study, e.g., to determine
the scope of the problem, and how it is trending.
Research needs to be conducted to quantify thescope and trending of the phenomena.
Meanwhile, institutions in both the public andprivate sector need to address the issue of child
identity theft more aggressively.
And whether or not any action is taken on eitherof these fronts, parents must be proactive.
Put plainly, it is not simply enough to guard yourown identity in the 21st Century, you must also
guard your child’s.

IF IT WERE ONLY ONE CHILD,IT WOULD BE ONE TOO MANY.
BUT THIS REPORT DOCUMENTS

OVER FOUR THOUSAND CHILDREN,

AND THERE ARE LIKELY MANY MORE.
Child Identity Theft 18

About CyLab

About AllClear ID

Carnegie Mellon CyLab is a bold and visionary effort,
which establishes public-private partnerships
to develop new technologies for measurable,
secure, available, trustworthy and sustainable
computing and communications systems. CyLabis a world leader in both technological researchand the education of professionals in information
assurance, security technology, business andpolicy, as well as security awareness among cybercitizens of all ages.

AllClear ID, a new product from Debix, offers
free, essential identity protection to everyone.
Debix is a pioneer and leading force in theidentity protection industry, and using advanced
technology created the world’s first and only
Identity Protection Network.

Building on more than two decades of Carnegie
Mellon leadership in Information Technology,
CyLab is a university-wide initiative that involves
over fifty faculty and one hundred graduate
students from more than six different departments
and schools.

Fortune 500 companies, universities, state andlocal governments, healthcare companies, andmany other national organizations use Debix toprotect their customers, and Debix has protected
over 1 million individuals.
Debix and AllClear ID are led by experienced andrespected Executives and a renowned Advisory
Board. Founded in 2004, Debix is headquarteredin Austin, Texas and is privately funded.

Richard Power, a CyLab Distinguished Fellow,
writes and speaks on cyber security. From 1995
to 2002, he directed the CSI/FBI Computer Crime
and Security Survey, a widely cited study that
identified several trends which have come toshape the spectrum of 21st Century cyber risks
and threats.
Mr. Power is the author of Tangled Web: Tales ofDigital Crime from the Shadows of Cyberspace(Que) and co-author of Secrets Stolen, Fortunes
Lost: Preventing Intellectual Property Theftand Economic Espionage in the 21ST Century(Syngress).

www.cylab.cmu.edu

www.AllClearID.com

Child Identity Theft 19

www.cylab.cmu.edu