Identity Theft

questions & answers

Question: How do i find out if my ex-husband is using my children's social security numbers to get a line of credit in their name? i have tried the credit report sites and i get nothing.

Answer:

There are many resources to utilize if a parent or guardian believes their child's social security number is being utilized improperly.

Federal Trade Commission:  If a person thinks that someone is using their child’s Social Security number fraudulently, they may file a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission by:
Internet—www.idtheft.gov;
Telephone—1-877-IDTHEFT
(1-877-438-4338); or
TTY—1-866-653-4261.

There is also an article on child identity theft from the FTC: http://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/0040-child-identity-theft

Social Security Administration publication on "Social Security numbers for Children" http://ssa.gov/pubs/EN-05-10023.pdf

IRS
A person that feels that they are a victim of identity theft may also want to contact the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). There are two ways that someone can use your identity.
A person may fraudulently use another’s social security to get employment
They may also steal identity to put bills in another’s name.
If a person believes that they are a victim of identity theft:
Go to www.irs.gov/uac/Identity-Protection or call 1-800-908-4490.

Also, if a person is an identity theft victim, they may file an online complaint with the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) at www.ic3.gov.

A parent or guardian may also monitor their child’s credit report periodically. Free credit reports are available online at www.annualcreditreport.com.

If a parent/guardian suspects that their child is a victim of identification theft they may also contact law enforcement, notify the Postal Inspector if there is suspected mail theft, and contact the fraud department of the three major credit reporting agencies (Equifax, Experian, Transunion).

The telephone numbers are for the 3 credit bureaus are:

Experian 888-397-3742
Trans Union 800-888-4213
Equifax 800-685-1111.

Additional resources:

http://www.azdps.gov/Services/Crime_Victims/identity/

http://www.equifax.com/specs/child-identity-protection-kit/child-kit.pdf

http://www.idtheftcenter.org/Fact-Sheets/fs-120.html

http://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/0040-child-identity-theft#Check

http://www.ssa.gov/pubs/EN-05-10023.pdf

http://www.tucsonaz.gov/files/police/pdf-0009-taking-charge.pdf