Main culprits in kids' ID theft? Family members

DALLAS - Shiloh Puckett is 10 years old, but this Dallas-area 4^th grader already has quite a history.  A credit history, that is.  Shiloh has had 17 credit cards, racked up thousands of dollars on her American Express bill and been approved for a $42,000 loan.

She is deep in debt and has been since she was just five. How does a child like Puckett get those credit cards and spend all that money? 

Her record is deceiving, because she is not a young criminal.

Puckett’s Social Security number was stolen several years ago. She is a young victim of identity theft, one of an estimated half a million children who joined her ranks last year, according to the Federal Trade Commission.

It is a crime, much like adult identity theft, which is spiraling out of control.

Theft from within the family
In Shiloh’s case, police collected hundred of pieces of evidence including credit cards, unpaid bills and loan applications. Prosecutors filed charges and the thief was sent to jail for six months. The culprit was Shiloh’s own mother, Cindy Puckett.

“I did it because I had to, as a means of necessity,” said Cindy Puckett. “I feel bad I did it, and I shouldn’t have done it. At the time, I didn’t really think it was wrong in the sense I was hurting my child.”

Protect your child from identity theft — Limit access to your child’s Social Security number by not providing it on sports team sign-ups and other non-essential forms — Shred all papers that contain account or Social Security numbers — Do not carry your child’s Social Security card or number in your wallet — College students should ask their school not to use their SSN as their college ID number — Social Security numbers should never be given out over the phone or on the Internet.  — Observe the mail. If bills, statements or credit card offers begin arriving in your child’s name, call the credit reporting bureaus to check on his or her credit record. There should be none. Information provided by the Identity Theft Resource Center

While Cindy Puckett served half a year in a Dallas jail, her daughter Shiloh was sent to live with a relative. They are reunited now, but the young girl’s credit is still blemished.

“I hope it sends a message to other parents,” said Cindy Puckett. “Don’t do that, it’s not worth it. Find other means.”

Shiloh Puckett’s case may seem unusual because of her mother’s involvement, but it’s not.  An advocacy group called the Identity Theft Resource Center identifies relatives as being involved in more than half of the child identity theft cases reported in the United States last year. 

“I don’t understand how a parent can do this to a child,” said Linda Foley, the center’s executive director. “This is an infant you hold in your arms when they are born and say I will protect you with my life. To go and sacrifice that life for their own selfish needs… it’s unexplainable to me.”

Children ideal target
The thief is not always someone who knows the child. In Oklahoma City, Jeremy Van Winkle has no idea who stole his children’s Social Security numbers. He was alerted to the problem when he filed his taxes early this year, anticipating a large refund.

Interactive Identity theft What to do when it happens

The Internal Revenue Service notified him that he could not claim his four-year-old daughter and five-year-old son as dependents because another tax filer had already done so.

“I feel scared,” said Van Winkle. “Somebody out there knows about my kids, their numbers and obviously their birthdates; anything their Social Security number can bring up.”

The Oklahoma City family is expecting another child soon and needs the refund money.  They’re still waiting, as Van Winkle tries to sort out the confusion with the I.R.S.  In addition, he is changing Patricia and Devin’s Social Security numbers, a time-consuming process.

Foley suspects that identity theft of children is increasing so rapidly precisely because kids are such good targets. “They usually have a spotless record and because they aren’t using their credit, the crime can go undetected for years,” explained Foley.

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