Parents sometimes wonder how they can view their child’s credit, or even if there is a need to do so. Although credit bureaus don’t knowingly keep a record of the credit of minor children, it is possible for a parent to request a credit report for a child in writing by providing the child’s name, address, date of birth, and a copy of their birth certificate.

The prevalence of identity theft is the most common reason parents are concerned about monitoring their child’s credit. Children are the perfect target for identity thieves, because it may take years before anyone detects that a child has been a victim.

Children are becoming victims of identity theft more and more frequently. The perpetrator is sometimes a family member or a stranger that purposely targets children. Credit issuers don’t have a way to establish the age of the applicant, so often a valid social security number is all it takes to open a new account. The age of an applicant becomes “official” with the credit bureau once the first credit account is opened. Therefore a person who uses a child’s identity to open a credit line states the child is an adult, and the credit bureaus then have a record of that person as an adult.

Parents have the right to monitor their child’s credit if they suspect their child may have been a victim to identity theft. Many children don’t find out until they become adults and try to open a credit account themselves. Or they may be denied employment based on a poor credit history that they didn’t create, or find that they are unable to open a bank account. It may be ten or fifteen years between the time that the crime is perpetrated and the time it is discovered. By that time, the trail is cold.

Adults are entitled to one free credit bureau report per year, and the request can be done by phone or online. But for a child, it can only be done in writing. The parent should send a written request for the child’s information to each individual credit bureau. In the letter, they should state that they want a search for a credit report in the child’s social security number. Identity thieves very often use a different name. The request should be mailed along with a copy of the child’s birth certificate and social security card, as well as a copy of the parent’s driver’s license and a current utility bill. The address of three of the major credit bureaus is below.

Equifax Information Services

Office of Consumer Affairs

P.O. Box 105139

Atlanta, GA 30348

Experian

P.O. Box 9532

Allen, Texas 75013

TransUnion

P.O. Box 6790

Fullerton, CA 92834

Most likely, the response will be a letter that states there is no record of the child’s information in the database. If there is no response to the inquiries to the credit bureaus, contact the Federal Trade Commission at 1-877-FTC-HELP.

A child’s social security number should be protected to the best of a parent’s ability. Parents should not keep a child’s social security card in their wallet, because that is an almost open invitation to theft.