The Littlest Victims of ID Theft

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¿ Monitor your child's online activity. Many sites ask for personal information such as last name and address, which can open the door for identity thieves.

¿ Don't ignore the junk mail your child receives. For example, if your child suddenly begins receiving credit card promotions or other solicitations in his or her own name, that's a red flag.

¿ If you want a magazine subscription for your child, put it under your name. This will help keep your child's name off of mass marketing mailing lists.

¿ If someone insists he needs your child's Social Security number, demand to know why. Often the number isn't needed.

¿ Don't let your children carry their Social Security cards in their wallets.

To combat child identity theft, there are now credit monitoring services for children. For example, Experian is marketing a new service for $19.95 a month that will alert you if accounts are opened in your child's name.

But you can do for yourself much of what these services provide.

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