What would you do if the police showed up at your door with a warrant for your preschooler?
That’s just what happened to a New Mexico family. In a terrifying story detailed in this Reddit post, the identity of a 4-year-old boy was stolen in 2016. His parents have no idea how it happened.
The first sign something was amiss was when a letter arrived in the mail saying the boy had been dropped from the state-run insurance because of a criminal background check.
“I thought it was a fluke. He is four,” writes user “terfly,” the boy’s parent.
But it wasn’t a mistake, which became clear when the police arrived at the family’s door a few weeks later with the warrant in hand.
The parents explained the situation, showed the police their son’s birth certificate, Social Security number, etc.
Turns out a man who is wanted in another state and has an upcoming trial is using the 4-year-old’s name, address and Social Security number.
What would you do if this happened to you? While it’s impossible to prevent identity theft, there is something you can do to prepare. LibertyID’s Family Plan covers you, your spouse, parents and children in the event of identity theft. Subscribers call us at the first sign something is amiss and we assign them a personal recovery advocate who will clean up the mess and restore their identity to pre-event status. Sign up for an annual subscription now and rest easy knowing you’re covered by LibertyID.
As for the New Mexico family, the parent was overwhelmed and unsure of how to even begin cleaning up the mess.
“(The police) encouraged us to file a criminal identity theft report and we’ve been working with the local PD to get these cleared up,” terfly writes. “I am just at a loss at even where to begin. As of right now, my son is uninsured and I can’t get him insured because (his) SS number has been flagged.”
Unfortunately, child identity theft cases are fairly common since children are an easy target for criminals because the theft can go on undetected for years. Five percent of the identity theft victims in 2015 were under the age of 19, according to the Federal Trade Commission. One in 40 families with children under 18 had at least one child whose personal information was compromised, according to a recent survey by the Identity Theft Assistance Center and the Javelin Strategy & Research group (2012).
For signs of Child Identity Theft, visit our blog post about child identity theft and tips for keeping youngsters safe, (one of our most well-read posts to date).
You can also read about how a convict stole a dead baby’s identity and used it for two decades before being caught.
Sign up for an annual subscription now and rest easy knowing you’re covered by LibertyID.
Are you covered for identity theft?
Get Covered
Image: Pixabay