Even if your child is still in elementary school, they are still at risk of becoming victims of identity theft. Every day, people steal social security numbers of children to apply for government benefits, obtain credit cards and loans, and more.

Many of this information is stolen when it is improperly secured by schools, hospitals and government organizations. The best way to ensure your child’s identity is still intact is run a credit report on their social security number. If a report comes up with numerous inquiries and any financial information that shouldn’t belong to a child, contact a child identity theft services lawyer immediately and your local police department.

Look Out for the Warning Signs

Sooner or later, you’ll figure out that someone has stolen your child’s social security number when you need to use it to apply for benefits, or must enter it on a form for medical reasons.

The following warning signs will help you determine whether or not your child’s background has been compromised:

• If you receive a notice from the IRS stating that your child’s social security number was used on another tax return, some has likely stolen it.
• If you apply for government benefits and are turned down because the social security number is already receiving payments at a different household, you must act quickly and inform the agency that your child’s number has been compromised.
• When you start receiving collection calls from companies you’ve never dealt with, it’s time to call an attorney to take care of the issue.

How Do Your Repair the Damage?

No one wants their son or daughter growing up with a damaged credit report and identity issues. Once you begin to notice some of the warning signs stated above, you must take action immediately.

• Pull Reports – Your first step in rectifying the problem is to pull all necessary credit reports and place a fraud alert on each one.
• Make Contact – Contact each financial institution that has placed an account on the report and request that they remove the record immediately. To prove that the individual is a minor, you’ll likely have to submit a Uniform Minor’s Status Declaration.
• Fraud Report – File a fraud report with the the Federal Trade Commission and your local police department. In some cases, they may be able to track the individual who is using your child’s social security number.

How Michigan Credit Consumer Lawyers Can Help You

One of the most difficult things to do is to have inaccurate information removed from a credit report. A consumer lawyer can help speed up the process for you and will often deal entirely with the banks without needing you on the phone.

Child identity theft has become a big problem in the United States. Michigan credit consumer lawyers can help you prepare the necessary affidavits to send to the reporting agencies and financial institutions to help you remove the accounts, and can file police reports on your behalf.

This process involves a significant amount of phone calls, red tape and piles of paperwork. Let the consumer advocates do the work for you and alleviate you of all your headaches.