BALTIMORE — The State of Maryland has launched a new initiative to raise awareness of child identity theft and help parents prevent it from happening.
Children are 35 times more likely than adults to be victims of identity theft, and it affects about 140,000 minors every year.
“As soon as your child has a Social Security number, he or she is ready to have his or her identity stolen,” says Maryland Attorney General Brian Frosh. “Children are prime targets.”
By targeting a young kid instead of an adult, a thief can use a false identity for years without getting caught.
“It’s really important for parents to understand that their kids are vulnerable and it can ruin their credit,” Frosh adds.
Under Maryland’s kID Safe public awareness campaign, hospitals and pediatricians statewide are working to distribute information to parents, telling them about the problem and giving them advice on what they can do. For instance, they are encouraged to place a security freeze on their children’s credit records.
All the information can be found here.
