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Tackle online child identity theft

Get support on dealing with identity fraud

If your child has their identity stolen, it’s important to take action. Explore the guidance below to help children recognise identity theft and get support from the right places.

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Quick tips
4 tips you need to know to tackle online identity theft

If your child is a victim of identity theft or fraud, report it to Action Fraud. This service is available for those in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Those in Scotland should report the crime to Police Scotland.

Contact banks, credit card companies or other organisations that hold your child’s information to notify them.

If a scammer uses your child’s image, contact the platform to get it removed.

Contact a credit reference agency (CRA) to request your child’s statutory credit report. Most children won’t yet have one. However, victims of identity theft might. In the UK, the main CRAs are EquifaxExperian and TransUnion.

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How do I report child identity theft?

You can report online identity fraud that targets your child to the police as well as specific organisations.

Impersonation of another person is a crime. You should report identity theft of your child to the police as well as:

  • Known websites where criminals use your child’s identity.
  • Website from where you know their identity was stolen.
  • The bank or credit card companies your child uses, if any.

Where to report child identity theft

Other ways to deal with identity theft

Beyond reporting fraud and impersonation, here are some other actions to take to support your child.

Apply for protective registration. This is also a good preventative measure. You can contact the UK fraud prevention service, CIFAS, to do this. With this feature, CIFAS will perform extra checks on anyone who tries to open new accounts that could impact your child’s credit.

  • Contact a credit reference agency (CRA) such as Equifax, Experian or TransUnion
  • Request your child’s statutory credit report to track any unexpected impacts on their credit due to identity theft
  • Report any stolen documents to the organisation they’re from. This includes offline documents like passports or IDs that might make their way online
  • Enhance account security. Change passwords and force logouts where possible so criminals can’t access them
  • Review cyber security software. Check that your family’s devices are up-to-date on their security

What if someone uses my child’s image?

If someone is impersonating your child and using their image, you can contact the platform to have it removed.

Each social media platform has set community guidelines. They outline what actions they take if someone impersonates someone else on the platform.

  • Snapchat – To report a Snapchat account impersonating your child, visit the Snapchat support centre and follow the steps.
  • Instagram – Report impersonation to Instagram
  • TikTok – Report impersonation to TikTok