I read an interesting article in the Wall Street Journal illustrating that fraudsters are now targeting children's social security numbers because of clean credit histories and because parents rarely monitor them. There are some helpful hints available out there for parents who are interested and I'll post a link to the article on wsj.com (but it may only be visible to subscribers so i will also post a couple of links to other resources too). On September 21, parents should be able to check with the three main credit agencies to check on children's credit files for free.
The article says, "Most young children shouldn’t have credit files. If that is confirmed, parents should either check back with the companies on a regular basis, or create a new file and freeze it, the option some experts recommend."
Information about children's credit reports: https://www.forbes.com/sites/megangorman/2018/08/28/one-in-four-children-will-suffer-this-financial-harm-will-yours/#3b0274b272e6
Government suggested steps in event of fraud: https://identitytheft.gov/Steps?mod=article_inline
WSJ Article: https://www.wsj.com/articles/new-on-parents-to-do-list-checking-childrens-credit-history-1535457603?mod=djem10point
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