Child Identity Theft

Child identity theft is a particularly insidious form of identity fraud because children do not monitor their credit profiles, meaning the theft can go undetected for years — sometimes until the child first applies for student finance, a driving licence, or a first bank account in early adulthood, only to discover an established fraudulent credit history.

Children are attractive targets because their tax or national identity numbers are 'clean' — not associated with any existing credit file — and they typically have no mechanism to detect or report suspicious use. Perpetrators include strangers who obtain children's details through data breaches, compromised school or healthcare records, or darkweb marketplaces, but also — in a significant proportion of cases — family members or close acquaintances.

Parents and guardians can protect children by placing a credit freeze on their child's identity file with credit reference agencies (available in many jurisdictions), shredding documents containing the child's details, being cautious about sharing school or government ID numbers, and checking whether a credit file exists in the child's name. When detected, child identity theft requires reporting to the relevant credit agencies, police, and tax authority.