Even kids can have their identities stolen

Cases of children's Social Security numbers being stolen are increasing.
By ANSLEE WILLETT
KNIGHT RIDDER NEWSPAPERS
At age 7, Zach Friesen's Social Security number was stolen by a stranger who used it to buy a $40,000 houseboat.
Zach wasn't the only young victim. Identity thieves increasingly are targeting children.
"Even toddlers," Colorado Springs police Sgt. Randy Johnson said. "Unfortunately, a lot of times the people who are committing those crimes are parents or other family."
The number of identity-theft complaints received by the Federal Trade Commission involving victims younger than 18 nearly doubled in the past three years -- the biggest jump of any age group.
There were 6,512 complaints in 2003 involving youngsters, compared with 11,601 last year, accounting for 5 percent of the overall complaints.
The complaints don't reflect the number of victims. It's estimated that hundreds of thousands of children have their IDs stolen each year.
The youngsters should have no credit history, and therefore, clean records -- factors some say make them ideal targets. And their stolen IDs may go undetected for years, since children won't be using their personal information for financial reasons.
All a thief needs to apply for credit cards or loans is the child's Social Security number. The federal government requires children to have a number for their parents to claim them on tax returns.
Discovered 10 years later
Friesen didn't discover someone stole his number until 10 years later when he applied for a job at age 17.
Now 20, Friesen, who attends the University of Colorado at Boulder, travels the country warning teens about the crime as part of a campaign by telecommunications giant Qwest.
"It's frightening the amount of kids who can relate to identity theft, whether their IDs were stolen or their parent's or their younger brother's or sister's," he said.
Colorado Attorney General John Suthers said it's unclear how many children are targeted. He estimates half the state's ID thefts are linked to methamphetamine addicts.
"They drive up and down the street, pulling mail out of mailboxes," Suthers said. "Some more deliberate identity thieves are not drug-induced and are picking their victims. They may choose to steal a child's identity for several reasons."
A child also may be victimized by a family member with bad credit who steals the youngster's ID.
Should start after 18
Children shouldn't have a credit history until they're 18 or older, when they're legally able to obtain credit, according to TransUnion, one of the three major credit reporting bureaus.
Adults are urged to check their credit reports annually but should check for their kids' reports only if they suspect their kids' information is being used fraudulently for credit, said Linda Foley, director of the San Diego-based Identity Theft Resource Center.
Red flags include billing collection notices in a child's name or anything that indicates business is being done with a child's information.
"A pre-approved credit offer doesn't set off a red flag for me because the child is probably on a marketing list," she said.
Foley suggests parents avoid signing up for things such as free birthday desserts in a child's name because it can lead to the information being sold for marketing lists.
She said the youngest ID theft victim she's heard about is a 3-week-old in Washington. A hospital worker stole the baby's name and address to have his own medical bills sent there, she said.
"Most kids will not be victimized," said Johnson, the police sergeant. "But there's no youngest age you could be victimized."