Florida AG Urges Parents To Take Step To Protect Children From Identity Theft

March 6, 2015

Attorney General Pam Bondi’s Office urges all Anthem customers affected by the recent data breach who are parents or caregivers to be alert for child identity theft. According to Anthem, more than 1.4 million individuals in Florida had Social Security numbers or personal identification stolen in wake of the recent breach. As a result of parents’ insurance information being compromised, children’s Social Security numbers and personal identification are also believed to be at risk for identity theft.

“Parents and caregivers who are Anthem customers should take extra precautions in protecting their children’s identity,” said Attorney General Pam Bondi. “If you believe your child’s identity is compromised, please report it immediately to the credit reporting bureaus and local law enforcement.”

Identity thieves can easily create fraudulent identities using children’s information because there is no other credit history associated with the children’s Social Security numbers. Children’s identities are also stolen because they can remain undiscovered until the child turns 18 or applies for student loans or credit cards.

Warning signs of child identity theft include:

  • Phone calls or letters attempting to collect debt in a child’s name;
  • Pre-approval or other credit card offers for minors;
  • Notices from government entities about a traffic violation, jury duty summons, overdue taxes or other such document in a child’s name;
  • A bill or insurance claim for medical treatments that a child never received;
  • Denial of state or federal benefits because Social Security number is listed as already receiving benefits; and
  • Notice from the IRS stating that a dependent cannot be claimed on tax return because the Social Security number already appears on another tax form.

The following should be considered if a dependent’s identity is believed to be compromised:

  • Check with major credit reporting bureaus, such as Equifax, Experian and TransUnion, to see if the dependent has a credit report;
  • Place a fraud alert on dependent’s information by contacting just one of the three bureaus. The bureaus are required to alert the other bureaus when an alert is in place;
  • Put a freeze on any fraudulent credit files with each of the three credit reporting bureaus;
  • File a police report at local police department about the identity theft;
  • Call each of the companies where an account was fraudulently opened under the dependent’s name and ask them to flag and close the account; and
  • Check the dependent’s credit report each year to ensure that no fraudulent activity is occurring.

To report child identity theft to the credit reporting bureaus, contact Equifax at 1-800-525-6285, Experian at 1-888-397-3742 and TransUnion at 800-680-7289 or ChildIdTheft@transunion.com.

For more information on what you can do in the wake of identity theft, visit MyFloridaLegal.com/identitytheft.

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Written by William Reynolds · Filed Under News