Children being victimized by identity thieves!

[thewayne]

A guy goes to open a checking account and finds that his credit history had been stolen and trashed years earlier. You now have to have a social security number for children older than 1 if you want to use them as a tax deduction, but credit bureaus don't have any form of reality check. If someone gets ahold of that number and starts using it, they may have a free run for years.

http://www.bankrate.com/nltrack/news/debt/20070103_child_identity_theft_a1.asp

Comments

[donkey-hokey.livejournal.com]

I read a similar article on another webpage (no link, sorry), and it mentioned an identity thief not talked about in your link. It talked about the children's PARENTS using their child's SSN for whatever reason.

I dunno. I'm sure it is a problem; I'm just not sure how prevalent it really is, or if this is going to be the next "OMG think of the children!!!!1!!!" and "here's something ELSE to be scared of". For the record, I HAVE been a victim of minor identity theft and I have an idea how frustrating it can be to be one.

If it's used to make the idiotic credit bureaus get their act together and behave more responsibly, that could be a good thing. I guess that depends on how that's achieved, and who else might be dragged along for the ride. Alternately, if there are already laws on the books in regards to identity thieves (and I'm betting there are), then enforcement of said existing laws might be a good choice. Instead, it seems we'll print alarmist news articles that we'll shake our heads at and say "sucks to be you" (until, of course, WE'RE the victim, then we usually just suck it up).

Oh, and of course we'll try to pass stupid new legislation that will create a giant master list of names and SSNs, never to be used, "I swear on my mother's grave, honest, really".

(OK, stepping off the soapbox)