Could your child become a victim of Identity Theft?

One of the golden rules of the world we live in today is to protect your Social Security number in order to protect yourself from becoming a victim of Identity Theft. But what about your children's social security numbers? I know that I have them in a safe spot, and have not really even thought about them until reading this article.

Hundreds of online businesses are using computers to find dormant Social Security numbers — usually those assigned to children who don't use them — then selling those numbers under another name to help people establish phony credit and run up huge debts they will never pay off.

 Experts say the fraud will be difficult to stop because it's so easily concealed and targets such vulnerable people. Other than checking with the credit bureaus to see if there is a credit file associated with your child's Social Security number, spokesmen at FICO, the Social Security Administration and the FTC said there are no specific tools for safeguarding the number.

"This is an invisible crime, with invisible victims who don't have enough support out there to help them," said Linda Foley of the ID Theft Resource Center in San Diego.