Complaints of Identity Theft Against Children

Too often, greedy parents think they have every right to use their child's identity to get what they want.

According to the Federal Trade Commission, studies have shown that identity theft against children is on the rise and that parents or other close relatives are usually the ones to blame. The companies that are forgiving to older victims of identity theft are not always as understanding when it comes to complaints of identity theft against children. They need to understand that these cases are due to a parent or other adult taking a child's identity and that the child is not responsible.

Why Complaints of Identity Theft Against Children are Increasing

There was a time when no one even thought of getting a social security number until they were an adult. A child simply didn't have any reason for one. Now, a child often has a social security number soon after birth since it is essential if you want to have a savings account for them. You must also have a social security number in order to register them for some schools or for a lot of other activities.

During times of hardship, families will turn to their children's identity to keep them from losing utilities or buying food and clothing. When the parents have fallen behind on payments and have no source of credit or income to get what they need, they feel justified in using their child's identity to get credit. After all, a child that is small and has no bad credit has a better credit rating than someone who has fallen behind in all of their payments.

Parents may not realize that complaints of identity theft may come later when the child is an adult and is no longer able to get credit on their own. They don't always see that they are hurting their children now in a way that will cause them problems in the future.

Complaints of Identity

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