Back to School means it’s time to protect your children’s identities

August 21, 2018

As your children go back to school, be sure to guard their personal information against identity theft by taking the following steps:

• Protect your children’s Social Security numbers. Don’t carry your children’s Social Security cards with you unless you know you need them. Keep the cards somewhere safe, perhaps with other valuable documents. Also, don’t share your children’s Social Security numbers with just anyone; if you are unexpectedly asked for their Social Security numbers, ask why they are needed and how the business or individual will protect numbers. Find out if there is another way to identify your children, or limit the disclosure to only the last four digits.
• Teach your children to not overshare online or through social media (and be sure to follow that tip yourself). For example, do not post names, street addresses, full dates of birth, or other personal identifying information for others to see. Be sure your children know to never post any information that shouldn’t be shown to strangers, even if the website or app promises that the data will be deleted soon or shared only with friends.
• Use strong, unique passwords to protect devices such as smartphones, tablets, and laptops. Be sure your children know to change their passwords on a regular basis and never share them with others.
• Shred children’s personal information before disposing of mail and other items. Protect your children’s personal information as you would your own, using a crosscut shredder before throwing it in the trash.
• Check – and consider freezing – your children’s credit reports. Be aware that identity theft can happen to children. If your children are under the age of 16, you can freeze their credit reports so that new credit will likely not be issued using their personal information.