Some things are sacred. The holiday season is a perfect example: it’s a special time of gift giving, filled with joy and wonder, especially for children. So it comes as a shock when we hear of a particularly ugly violation of the spirit of the season: parents, who are supposed to give the gift of love and devotion to their children, stealing their identities instead.

According to a series of articles in the Huffington Post called “Burdened Beginnings,” child identity theft is a startling reality for some individuals. One article cites a study done by ID Analytics that shows a large group of parents and children in the United States is inappropriately sharing identity information. Here are some statistics that may surprise you:

  • Approximately six million parents and children improperly share identifying information, specifically Social Security numbers.
  • Nearly 500,000 children under the age of 18 have had their identities stolen by a parent.
  • More than two million elderly parents have had their identity information used for fraudulent purposes by adult children.

So, why are parents using their children’s information instead of their own? Bad credit scores. Data compiled by Deutsche Bank shows that 25 percent of Americans had credit scores of less than 600 last April. Unfortunately, many parents who use their children’s credit negatively impact those scores as well due to a pattern of poor credit choices.

Catching the parents who steal the identities of their children is often difficult. If the children are under 18, they probably don’t even realize what their parents are doing. By the time they are old enough to actually start building credit, it’s already too late. And among those who do know, many are unwilling to report their parents.

If you or someone you know has been affected by identity theft or would like help to avoid being victimized, FreeScore can provide plenty of useful tools that put its members in control of their credit and identities. With the Power of 3, you’ll receive all three credit scores from the major credit bureaus, 24/7 credit monitoring, and automatic alerts that red flag suspicious activity in your credit profile. You’ll be better informed about your credit and better protected against identity theft. For additional peace of mind, FreeScore provides exclusive access to licensed investigators who will guide you through the process of restoring your identity if it’s ever stolen. This is the kind of no-nonsense protection every consumer needs, because as any victim will attest: preventing identity theft isn’t child’s play.

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