Identity theft: if you've ever experienced this you know how devastating it is and what a huge pain it is to repair. But it's news to me that identity theft isn't limited to adults (because I live in a Happy Bubble); the identities of minors can be stolen as well. Imagine your kid turning 18 and finding out he's already thousands of dollars in debt! Except it wasn't your kid, it was someone else posing as your kid and using his social security number and name to rack up debts and bad credit.
Experts say the best way to avoid this is to (duh) avoid giving out your kid's social security number like it was candy. Except everybody and their brother asks for it nowadays: doctors, schools, etc. Do they really need that information? Be sure there's a valid reason before you give it out. Like you don't already know that. Also, receiving credit card bills in your kid's name is a sure tipoff that something's amiss. Except by then it's obviously too late and then you've got a fight and a lot of paperwork on your hands to fix it.
The Identity Theft Resource Center is working on legislation that would help protect the social security numbers of minors. It would provide credit bureaus with a list of social security numbers belonging to children under 18, which theoretically would be cross-checked against applications for credit. But I won't hold my breath.
