I Froze My Kids' Credit After a Data Breach at Their School. It Was a No Brainer

I hit the roof when I found out my kids' information had been compromised due to a data breach at their school. It's one thing for my information to be leaked in major data breaches, such as by AT&T and National Public Data, but having my children's identities at risk felt worse.

One in eight children had their identity compromised in a data breach since 2019, and about 5% have suffered identity theft over the same period, according to the 2024 Child & Family Cybersecurity Study from Javelin Research.

Generally, losses from fraud and identity theft have also continued to rise, according to the Federal Trade Commission. Consumers lost $12.5 billion to fraud in 2024 -- 25% more than the year prior. The FTC also received more than 1.1 million reports of identity theft received through the FTC's IdentityTheft.gov website last year.

That's why I froze my kids' credit reports so bad actors couldn't open new lines of credit or other accounts in their names. You should too. Here's how.

How to freeze your kids' credit reports

Freezing your kids' credit reports -- sometimes called a protected consumer freeze -- requires significantly more work than freezing your own as an adult. And your child's credit can only be unfrozen by the parent or guardian or by the child once they turn 16. 

You'll need to make copies of sensitive documents and mail them. In addition, you'll have to take the following steps with each of the major credit bureaus -- Experian, Equifax and TransUnion

Step 1: Gather the required documentation

Equifax, Experian and TransUnion require you to provide documentation for yourself and your minor child. Here's a rundown of all the documents you'll need to have ready for each credit bureau.

• Letter that requests a protected consumer freeze on the dependent's credit report (for TransUnion)
• Filled out protected consumer freeze form (for Experian and Equifax) found on each website.
• Copy of one document that provides sufficient proof of authority that you can act on behalf of the dependent (i.e. court order, lawfully executed and valid power of attorney, proof of parentage, such as a birth certificate or copy of a foster care certification)
• Proof of identity for you and the minor child (i.e. copies of Social Security cards, certified or official copies of a birth certificate and copy of driver's license or other government-issued identification)
• List of all your home addresses from the previous two years

Step 2: Fill out the security freeze form

This process varies slightly by credit bureau. Experian requires you to fill out the form online and print it, whereas Equifax requires you to print the form and fill it out by hand. In both cases, both must be mailed with your supporting documents. 

Meanwhile, TransUnion asks you to send a written request for a child security freeze. Luckily, you can use the information on the other credit bureau forms as an outline for details you need to include in your request.

Step 3: Mail required documents via secure mail.

Each credit bureau requires you to mail the requested documents with their respective security freeze forms (or a written request for TransUnion). Considering the breadth of personal information and sensitive documents required for these requests, you may want to send the packages via secure mail.

The address where you'll send documentation for each credit bureau is detailed in the chart below.

Generally speaking, a credit freeze will be added to your child's credit reports within a few days of each bureau receiving the information. You should also receive a letter from each credit bureau when the protected consumer freeze is in place.

Why should you freeze your kids' credit reports?

My partner and I chose to freeze our children's credit reports for the same reasons we froze our own -- to prevent scammers and thieves from opening new accounts in any of our names. 

Children under 18 typically do not have any information on their credit reports because they haven't opened any credit accounts. This offers identity thieves a clean slate they can use for their own purposes, like creating synthetic identities.

Protected consumer freezes for your kids aren't as flexible as standard credit freezes for adults. They can't be unfrozen on a whim. The parent or guardian must provide the same documentation listed above to prove their and their child's identity to have it lifted.

We were fine with this since our teenage kids won't be applying for credit any time soon. They can unfreeze their credit when they turn 18.

Signs of child identity theft

If a child under 18 has information on their credit reports, that could be a sign of identity theft. They should not have anything on their credit reports unless you have them listed as an authorized user on your credit card or they have other types of reporting you know about and consented to. 

Fortunately, each of the major credit bureaus offers a process for checking a minor child's credit reports for any reporting. You can use Experian's minor request form to check if your child has a credit report, just as you can submit a child identity theft inquiry with TransUnion. 

You can also send a letter to Equifax requesting your child's credit report with this minor credit report request form to the following address:

Equifax Information Services LLC

P.O. Box 740241

Atlanta, GA 30374-0241

While unrecognized financial accounts on a child's credit report are a sure sign of child identity theft, other signs may not be so obvious:

• Suspicious mail arriving for a child, including correspondence from companies or bills
• Your child begins receiving offers in the mail that are typically sent to adults, such as preapproved credit card offers 
• Phone calls to your child about owed debts, including calls from debt collectors
• Strange correspondence to your child from the IRS, including notices about unpaid tax bills or information that shows your child listed on a tax return other than your own

Steps to take if you think your kid's identity was stolen

If you believe your child's identity has been compromised, act fast. If you fail to take action to protect their credit and identity, thieves can make the problem considerably worse.

Take the following steps if you believe your child's identity has been stolen:

• Get copies of their credit reports. Use the forms and information above for each credit bureau to get a copy of your child's credit reports. This will inform you of what kind of accounts have been opened in your child's name and other details about the fraudulent activity.
• Contact the companies where the fraud happened. The FTC says to contact the companies that were deceived as part of the fraud to report it. For example, if someone opened a credit card in your child's name, you would contact the credit card company's fraud department to report the account so it can be closed.
• Report the fraud to the credit bureaus. Use this contact information from the FTC's IdentityTheft.gov website to report fraud to Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion.
• Report to IdentityTheft.gov. You'll also want to create an official identity theft report with IdentityTheft.gov. The agency will help you create a recovery plan with steps to restore your child's identity and can help you protect your minor's credit moving forward.
• Freeze your child's credit reports. To prevent thieves from opening more accounts in your child's name, place a protected consumer freeze on their credit reports with all three credit bureaus.
• Sign up for a family identity theft protection plan. I have Identity Guard, but there are several options available to you that CNET has reviewed. Identity theft protection can help monitor all facets of your and your family's identity by monitoring credit reports, bank accounts, the dark web, and more.