Should I Freeze My Child's Credit? | Bankrate (2024)

Have you ever gotten a letter from a debt collector trying to collect on a loan they say your child owes? Or maybe your child has been getting offers for preapproved credit. These sorts of things may be signs that someone else has taken out credit in your child’s name.

Unscrupulous people, even relatives, could take out loans using a child’s personal information. Children in foster care are especially susceptible to misuse of their personal information. About 915,000 U.S. children were victims of identity fraud in the previous year, according to the Javelin Strategy & Research’s 2022 Child Identity Fraud Study.

Although children cannot legally enter into contracts or take out loans, increasingly commonplace identity theft could mean their credit is tarnished before they even need it. That means when your child reaches adulthood and wants to take out a loan, they could find themselves paying the price for a low score they had no hand in damaging. For these reasons, you might consider freezing your child’s credit.

Why you should freeze your child’s credit

Freezing your child’s credit prevents criminals and other untrustworthy individuals from opening lines of credit under your child’s name. Fraudsters can use a child’s personal information, such as their name, address, Social Security Number or date of birth, to get loans in the child’s name. They may use that information to access government benefits, rent a place, open a credit card account or take out loans.

Freezing your child’s credit could help you preemptively keep fraudsters at bay. Once you freeze someone’s credit, no one can access their credit report. If someone were to apply for credit in your child’s name, the lender would attempt to pull the credit report and learn that it was frozen. From there, the lender would inform the applicant that their request was not approved, effectively preventing the person from taking out credit in your child’s name.

When your child turns 16, they can lift the credit freeze if they want to. You can also unfreeze their credit before they turn 16, if you are considering adding them as an authorized user on one of your credit cards or otherwise helping them build credit early.

What parents can do to protect children’s information

Knowing that your child’s personal information could be compromised, you should also remain vigilant and take steps to prevent this from happening. For instance:

• Don’t give out your child’s sensitive information, such as their Social Security Number, unless it is essential.
• Store any documents that contain a child’s sensitive information in a secure way, such as a locked safe in a closet.
• When you want to dispose of such documents, make sure you have thoroughly cleaned them of the identifying information (such as by shredding them, for example).
• If any of your devices contain your child’s personal information, make sure to cleanse the data before you get rid of the devices.
• Check with the credit reporting bureaus to see if there’s a credit report in your child’s name. Children under age 18 generally do not have a credit report. If they do have one, it could be a sign that someone else has taken out credit in the child’s name.

If you find that your child’s information is compromised, report the identity theft to the Federal Trade Commission and your local police. Then, get in touch with the companies that extended your child credit and close down the accounts. Ask for written confirmation that your child is not responsible for the accounts.

From there, you can begin cleaning up your child’s credit report and asking the three credit bureaus to remove all inaccurate or fraudulent information. The Fair Credit Reporting Act requires the credit reporting bureaus to remove inaccurate input from your child’s account if you provide them proof. This will help protect your child’s credit history and give them the opportunity to build good credit in the future.

How to freeze a child’s credit

Each of the three credit bureaus provides instructions on how to freeze a minor’s credit. While some of the application process can be completed online, you will still need to mail each bureau a series of documents that establish your identity, your child’s identity and your relationship to the minor.

• • Complete the security freeze request form
  • Print a copy of the completed form
  • Mail the form to the address provided, along with a copy of your driver’s license or government-issued ID card, proof of guardianship, a copy of your child’s birth certificate and a copy of your child’s Social Security card
• • Complete the online application
  • Print a copy of the completed application
  • Mail the application to the address provided, along with a copy of your driver’s license or government-issued ID card, proof of address, proof of guardianship, a copy of your child’s birth certificate and a copy of your child’s Social Security card
• • Write a letter stating your request to place a “protected consumer freeze” on your child’s credit report (instructions here)
  • Print a copy of the completed letter
  • Mail the application to the address provided, along with a copy of your driver’s license or government-issued ID card, proof of guardianship, a copy of your child’s birth certificate and a copy of your child’s Social Security card

FAQ

• Yes, you can freeze your child’s credit for free. While the credit bureaus used to charge fees to freeze and unfreeze credit reports, those fees were removed to give consumers more opportunity to protect themselves against identity theft.

• It could take up to two weeks to complete the process of freezing your child’s credit. You will receive a notification from the credit bureau once the process is complete.

• In many cases, the credit bureaus will need to create a credit report for your child before they can freeze it. This is good news, since it indicates your child’s credit has not yet been compromised. However, it may add up to three business days to the usual process of freezing and unfreezing credit, which is generally completed within an hour. You’ll also want to account for the time it might take for your mailed documentation to arrive, which could add another three business days to the process.

• Yes, you can freeze all of your children’s credit at once. However, you will still need to complete separate applications for each child.

• Each of the three credit bureaus requires a slightly different set of documents, so review each bureau’s instructions carefully as you complete your application. That said, you can expect to prepare documents that prove your own identity, such as a copy of your driver’s license, as well as documents that prove your child’s identity, such as a copy of your child’s birth certificate. You may also need to provide proof of guardianship, if your name is not listed on your child’s birth certificate.

• If your child is over 16 years old, they may need to request the credit freeze themselves. Consider it a good opportunity to teach them about credit management, and set aside time to help them complete the application.

• Putting a freeze on your child’s credit prevents other people from potentially damaging their credit score. When it comes time for your child to start establishing a credit history, you can remove the credit freeze and work with them on developing the kind of strong financial skills that will help them build and maintain good or excellent credit in the future.

The bottom line

Children start out with a blank credit slate, and fraudsters can take advantage of their pristine record by using a child’s personal information to open financial accounts or get government benefits. One way to prevent this is to freeze your child’s credit.

If you find that your child’s credit is already compromised, you should file a report with the appropriate authorities and also take steps to clean up the tarnished record.