Child identity theft: how to check if your child has a credit file, freeze it, and fix it

A child's Social Security number is a clean slate. Nobody checks it for years, so a thief can open accounts, run up debt or file taxes with it, and the family often finds out only when the teenager applies for a student loan, a phone contract or a first job. Thieves include strangers who get the number from a data breach, and sometimes people the child knows: the FTC's guidance is written partly for families where a relative has misused a child's details.

The FTC lists these warning signs (FTC):

• A debt collector contacts you about an overdue bill for an account you never opened.
• Government benefits are denied because someone else is already using your child's Social Security number.
• Your child gets an IRS letter about unpaid income taxes.
• Your child is turned down for a student loan because of bad credit they did not create.

Pre-approved credit card offers in your child's name are another prompt to check. They do not prove a file exists, but they mean the name has reached a marketing list.

You cannot pull a child's report the normal way at AnnualCreditReport.com, because the bureaus usually have nothing to show. Instead, the FTC says to contact all three nationwide bureaus and ask for a manual search for your child's Social Security number. Be ready to send:

• Your government-issued ID and proof of your address.
• Your child's birth certificate and Social Security card.
• If you are not the parent, documents showing you are the legal guardian.

If the bureau finds no file, that is the result you want. If it finds one, go straight to step 3.

Federal law lets a parent or guardian place a free security freeze for a child under 16, and the freeze stays in place until you ask to remove it. If the child has no file, the bureau creates one and freezes it straight away, so nobody can open credit with that number. Minors who are 16 or 17 can request and remove a freeze themselves.

Do all three: a freeze at one bureau does nothing at the others. Keep the confirmation and any PIN in a safe place, because your child will need them later. Our credit freeze guide covers how freezes work for adults, including lifting one when your teen applies for their first loan.

1. Report it at IdentityTheft.gov. The FTC asks for as many details as possible and gives you a recovery plan and letters to send.
2. Call each company's fraud department. Explain that the account was opened in a minor's name, and ask for written confirmation that your child is not responsible for it.
3. Ask each bureau to remove the fraudulent accounts and place the freeze if you have not already.
4. If the IRS is involved, follow the instructions in the letter and consider an IRS Identity Protection PIN for your child.

When the person responsible is a family member, the choices are harder, and IdentityTheft.gov's process still applies. A police report or FTC report is often needed to clear the debts.

Foster youth move often and many adults handle their documents, so they are at higher risk. The FTC says federal law requires child welfare agencies to get and review credit reports every year for foster youth aged 14 and older, and that child welfare representatives can request a free freeze for a child under 16 (FTC, September 2025). If you are a foster parent, caseworker or a young person in care, ask the agency for the results of those reviews.

• Keep your child's Social Security card and birth certificate locked away at home, not in a wallet.
• Ask why a school, club or doctor needs the Social Security number before handing it over. Often they do not.
• Shred medical bills, school forms and anything else with your child's details before throwing it out.
• Read breach notices from schools and pediatric offices, and freeze if your child's data was involved.