WAFF.com: North Alabama News, Radar, Weather, Sports and Jobs-Cashing in on kids: A WAFF 48 News Special Report, pt. 2

Cashing in on kids: A WAFF 48 News Special Report, pt. 2

By Lee Marshall – bio|email

HUNTSVILLE, AL (WAFF)- It's a secret crime that can go undetected for years with thousands of dollars stolen and futures ruined, and the targets of this crime are your children. 

Shiloh Pucket is ten years old, and her credit has already been ruined.  Her own mother stole her identity. 

"It was a means of necessity.  We needed help," said Shiloh's mother Cindy.

It happened to Larry Braziel, Jr. too. "I saw that there was over one hundred thousand dollars listed on my credit," he said.

Larry found out his identity had been stolen five years ago when he turned 18 and got a call from a collection agency.

"There was a Capitol One credit card.  There was also a Providian credit card, a mortgage for 41 thousand dollars," said Braziel.

He claims the thief was his own father, Larry Senior, who was divorced from his mom.  He said the signed checks and credit card applications appear to bear his father's signature, so Larry Junior filed police reports.

Children are the latest victims of identity theft.  In fact, experts estimate more than half a million kids have their identities stolen and credit ruined each year.  It's not just by relatives, either, children are a big target for thieves because they have unblemished credit and the crime can go unnoticed for years.

Linda Foley at the Identity Theft Resource Center said, "When someone's applied for credit when they were five years old, that's thirteen years until it's discovered, and that entire credit report has probably been ruined."

The key is keeping your child's social security number under lock and key, and don't carry it in your purse.

Don't put social security numbers on non-essential forms like daycare or camp applications, even if asked.

Keep an eye on their credit report because any activity is a red flag!

Identity Theft Expert Robert Siciliano said, "It's important that parents not only check their own credit reports every four to six months, but they should also check that of their child, their spouses, even their parents."

Shiloh's mom was caught and spent six months in jail.

For Larry, the emotional toll has been just as devastating as the financial one.  "I don't have any contact at all with my father," he said.

Alabama is one of three state that has not adopted a security freeze law, which basically puts a password on a credit profile.

Although not a law in Alabama,  it is voluntary available to all consumers.

©2009 WAFF. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.