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Should your toddler receive a jury-duty summons in the mail, or debt collectors start calling for your tween, don't be so quick to dismiss those interactions as a quirk of mistaken identity. More than 1 million children — or 1.48 percent of minors — were victims of identity theft or fraud in 2017, according to a new report from Javelin Strategy & Research. Two-thirds of those affected were age 7 or younger. "As adults, we're hypersensitive right now to the idea that our identities are at risk and our personal information is out there," said Al Pascual, senior vice president of research and the head of fraud and security at Javelin. "We've Jedi mind-tricked ourselves into thinking this is an adult problem."

Child ID theft risks

"We're talking to folks who are having these numbers issued to their kids, and they're already tainted," Velasquez said. A newborn's SSN, when you go to file taxes, "might have earnings associated with it and a five-year credit history." Minors are also much more likely than adults to become victims of familiar fraud — meaning the identity thief is someone they know. Javelin estimates that 6 in 10 child victims personally know the perpetrator, compared to 7 percent of adults. Family friends were the most common suspect, accounting for a third of cases. "The big threat is going to be people who are close to the child, for sure," Pascual said.

Protecting your kids

You might think that being 5 years old would be a pretty good "It wasn't me" defense against a fraudulent five-figure credit card bill. But experts say untangling identity theft and fraud committed against a minor is just as complicated as when an adult is the victim. You'll still have to go through the same steps with that bank or creditor to prove the fraud, said Melba Amissi, chief operating officer at Identity Guard, which sponsored the Javelin report. The high rate of familiar fraud makes it tougher to build your case, said Javelin's Pascual. Perpetrators may have used your verified home address or phone to apply for the account, for example. And victims may not be willing to make the necessary law-enforcement complaints to document the problem. "Do I file a police report against my brother?" he said.

With that in mind, it's key to take steps to prevent your child's identity from being compromised in the first place and act quickly if you suspect a problem. 1. Keep data out of circulation Don't overshare personal details, such as your child's Social Security number, said ITRC's Velasquez. Not every entity that might ask for it (think: summer camp or the doctor's office) actually requires it. "Once it's out of your hands … there's not a lot you can do," said Velasquez. "You're counting on the company to be good stewards of that information."

It's also important to talk to your kids about protecting their information, said Amissi at Identity Guard. Parents should know what personal information their children are storing on electronic devices or sharing with third parties, she said, and teach them safe internet behaviors — including how to spot potential scams and phishing attempts. 2. Lock down documents Familiar fraud is often a crime of opportunity: The perpetrator either already knows or has easy access to a child's Social Security number and other details. Keep any sensitive personal and financial information out of sight, said Velasquez at ITRC. Lock up paper documents such as birth certificates and tax returns, and password-protect your home electronic devices.