Of all the cybersecurity threats that are out there, none are more calculating, or, perhaps, possess a more chilling impact than those that take advantage of children.

First observed annually on September 1st in 2018, National Child Identity Theft Awareness Day is intended to call attention to child identity theft and educate all of us about what we can do to protect our children. In doing so, it’s also the perfect time – with the start of the school year – to educate parents about identity theft and how they can protect themselves and their family.

According to Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita, child identity theft is on the rise. In fact, it’s been reported that 1.3 million children have their identities stolen every year. It might surprise you to know, the term “identity theft” is not something that suddenly starting trending on social media; it was created 61 years ago after it first appeared in 1964 in a Montana newspaper to describe the physical theft of documents, such as Social Security cards and credit cards.

Initially, it was believed that only an adult could have their identity stolen. However, it was later discovered that criminals were also targeting children because all their information is available on the web. Often times, a child’s sensitive personal information is used to illegally:

• Apply for government benefits, including health care coverage or nutrition assistance;
• Open a bank or credit card account;
• Apply for a loan;
• Sign up for a utility service, such as water or electricity;
• Rent a place to live.

Fortunately, as recommended by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), there are several steps you can take to protect your child’s personal information, including:

• Insisting on asking questions before giving anyone your child’s Social Security number;
• Protecting documents with personal information;
• Deleting personal information before disposing of a computer or cell phone;
• Freezing your child’s credit.

Of course, in the event you suspect someone is using your child’s personal data, be sure to keep an eye out for some potential warning signs, such as:

• Someone contacts you about your child’s overdue bill, but it’s not an account you opened.
• You’re denied government benefits (like health care coverage or nutrition assistance) because someone is already using your child’s Social Security number to get those benefits.
• You get a letter from the IRS about unpaid income taxes for your child. This could happen if someone used your child’s Social Security number on tax forms for a new job.
• Your child is denied a student loan because your child is reported to have bad credit. This could happen if someone used your child’s Social Security number to get a credit card, open a cell phone account, or set up a utility service and hasn’t paid the bills on time, if at all.

Additionally, there are a host of government agencies, as well as non-profit and for-profit organizations that have been formed to defend against identity theft. They focus on victim assistance, consumer education, and identity monitoring services.

Here in the Hoosier State, there are also other free resources. As featured on the Indiana Cyber Hub website, you can visit our Parents page for additional ways to safeguard your child’s personal data. The page also includes a wide range of websites – ranging from the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) to seven tips from National Child Protection Task Force for keeping kids safe when they’re online.

As with a lot of things in cyberspace, creating a greater degree of awareness and understanding of the threats we face relies on our ability to be vigilant and that it’s OK to trust our instincts. That’s why, too, we have the opportunity to observe National Child Identity Awareness Day to remind us on what we need to do to help keep our kids – and ourselves – stay safe when whenever we’re online.