Maryland's New ID Theft Law Takes Effect This Month | AllClear ID

Allison here. Maryland?s legalization of same-sex marriage in November may have gotten all of the media attention, but another important legal change took place on the around the same time. Beginning January 1^st of this year, Maryland allowed parents to freeze their child?s credit should they suspect id theft or suspicious activity.

The new child ID theft law, the first of its kind in the nation, took effect on January 1^st, and requires credit agencies to place a security freeze on the credit of anyone who requests it.? Previously, credit agencies could refuse freeze requests for a child if a credit report did not yet exist for them, which was troublesome because if the credit report did exist for the child, it was likely identity theft had already occurred.

While this law does appear to make it easier for parents to freeze their child?s credit, we are uncertain as to whether or not this law will make a difference in decreasing the number of child identity theft cases. A recent study found that nearly 1 in 10 children have their Social Security numbers stolen; an alarming ratio compared to only 1 in 500 adults who have their numbers stolen. Often times, identity thieves steal the Social Security number of a child and attach a different name to it, and it?s unclear whether or not this new law helps with those cases.

Under the new law, parents and guardians do have to provide proof of identification for the person they want to protect, such as a social security card or a birth certificate, to initiate the freeze. But, we don?t know if the credit agencies cross reference the Social Security number with any existing credit reports, or if they simply look at the information that?s given to them. Furthermore, if credit agencies are cross-referencing the Social Security number given to them by the guardians, and they do find an existing credit file, it is unclear whether or not the agency will notify the parents or guardians of this fact.

We agree with the idea of empowering parents and guardians to protect the identities of their children and loved ones, and this law seems to be a step in the right direction. However, only time will tell if the law is effective in decreasing the occurrence of child identity theft.

Source: https://www.allclearid.com/blog/marylands-new-id-theft-law

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