Credit fraud is among the main motives behind child identity theft. Millions of dollars are lost to this crime every year, mainly as a result of inadequate ID protection and credit monitoring.

Every credit bureau offers a set of security measures to help you keep your child safe from fraud. This article focuses on TransUnion child identity theft protection to outline the options available to parents and their children. You’ll also learn about an alternative that is worth investing in if you need comprehensive security.

Why Seeking Help From TransUnion May Be a Wise Move

As one of the three major consumer credit bureaus, TransUnion plays a crucial role in your child’s credit journey once they’re old enough to start it. It gathers all relevant information about their credit history and can help ensure it’s managed wisely.

Specifically, TransUnion can limit access to your child’s credit profile so that their information doesn’t fall into the hands of fraudsters or identity criminals. The credit bureau also offers several services aimed at protecting the child’s identity and dealing with the consequences of identity theft.

How TransUnion Helps Safeguard Your Child’s Identity

Whether you’re proactively securing your child’s identity or have reason to believe they’ve already fallen victim to fraud, TransUnion might be able to help through the following services:

1. Child Identity Theft Inquiry
2. Protected Consumer Freeze
3. Fraud Alert
4. TrueIdentity

TransUnion Child Identity Theft Inquiry Form

Most minors don’t have a credit profile, so the existence of one is often a tell-tale sign of identity theft. TransUnion lets you see if this is the case through an online Child Identity Theft Inquiry form.

When you fill out and submit the form, the credit bureau will search for a credit file under the child’s Social Security number (SSN). If they find one, and your child doesn’t have a legitimate credit history, it likely means someone used your child’s SSN to obtain credit.

In this case, TransUnion will reach out via the email address you gave them and suggest the next steps. You might be asked to submit additional information, so the bureau recommends replying to the email you receive promptly.

Protected Consumer Freeze

Freezing a credit profile makes it inaccessible to new lenders, which prevents the opening of new credit accounts. This means that anyone trying to apply for a loan using the child’s SSN will be rejected because the lender won’t be able to do a credit check.

While you can freeze your own credit profile online, doing it for a child is more complicated. If they’re 15 or younger, you must submit a written Protected Consumer Freeze request alongside the following:

• Proof of your identity, as well as the child’s
• Proof of authority/parentage (the child’s birth certificate, power of attorney, etc.)

Minors who are 16 and over must submit the request in their own name unless they’re incapacitated. They also need to provide the following documentation:

• SSN
• Name
• Date of birth
• TransUnion file number (if applicable)
• Current address (alongside the previous one if they’ve lived at the current address for less than two years)

Regardless of who files the request, it should be mailed to the following address:

TransUnion

P.O. Box 380

Woodlyn, PA 19094

Note that while a freeze may prevent fraudulent loans, it also means your child can’t obtain legitimate ones while it’s active. You (or the child) will need to lift it when the time comes for them to start building their credit history.

Most importantly, the freeze doesn’t extend to the other two credit bureaus (Equifax and Experian), so you’ll need to request it from them separately.

Fraud Alert

Unlike a credit freeze, a fraud alert doesn’t make a credit profile inaccessible—it only warns lenders to take extra precautions and verify the credit applicant’s identity before approval. It’s still a useful security measure that can be used either proactively or after fraud has been detected.

The problem is, TransUnion currently doesn’t let parents place a fraud alert in a minor child’s name, so this option is only available if your child is a legal adult and can request an alert themselves.

Other credit bureaus, such as Experian, allow fraud alerts for minors who are 14 and over, so you can contact them if you’d like to place it. Credit bureaus notify one another of fraud alerts, so requesting it from one bureau is enough.

TrueIdentity

TrueIdentity is TransUnion’s identity protection product encompassing several useful security measures, most notably:

• Credit lock—A credit lock serves the same purpose as a freeze but is more convenient, as it can be done online without forms or requests
• Credit monitoring—TransUnion monitors the user’s credit activity and notifies them about any changes
• Instant Alerts—An Instant Alert is sent to a user if someone tries to obtain credit using their information

Your child must be at least 18 to use TrueIdentity, which means that you can’t create an account in their name or safeguard a minor’s identity with this product.

You should also note that TrueIdentity costs $39.95 for a monthly ($479.40/y) or $379.95 for an annual subscription. Protecting your child from birth to adulthood (18 or 19 years) with TrueIdentity would cost you between $6,839 and $8,629.

Alternatives to TransUnion’s Security Measures

While TransUnion offers some helpful services, most of them might not offer adequate protection—especially if your child is a minor. This is a major drawback, as minors’ identities are more tempting to fraudsters than adults’ exactly because of the lack of careful monitoring.

The most effective method of securing your child’s identity with TransUnion is a Protected Consumer Freeze, as it’s the only measure you can take proactively before your child is old enough for other services. It’s still a time-consuming and restrictive option, which makes it less appealing.

Besides, TransUnion mostly concerns itself with the financial impact of identity theft, which makes sense considering it’s a credit bureau. The issue is that not all ID fraud is financially motivated, and credit bureaus can’t do much if your child’s identity is stolen for purposes beyond defrauding lenders.

With all of the above in mind, you need more comprehensive identity protection to keep your child out of harm’s way. If you want a feature-rich product covering various aspects of ID security, check out FreeKick.

Use FreeKick To Safeguard Your Family’s Identities

Identity theft is so widespread that a child’s identity is stolen every 30 seconds, making identity protection services invaluable. That’s where FreeKick by Austin Capital Bank comes in—this two-in-one platform protects your child’s identity and builds credit for them. 

How FreeKick’s Protects Your Family’s Identities

FreeKick offers identity protection services for minors, adult children, and parents, making it a comprehensive identity protection package for your whole family. For minors, FreeKick offers the following services:

• Credit profile monitoring
• Social Security number (SSN) monitoring
• Dark web monitoring for children’s personal information
• Up to $1 million identity theft insurance
• Full-service white-glove concierge credit restoration
• Sex offender monitoring—based on sponsor parent’s address

For adult children and parents, FreeKick offers:

• Credit profile monitoring
• SSN monitoring
• Dark web monitoring for personal information
• Up to $1 million identity theft insurance
• Full-service white-glove concierge credit restoration
• Lost wallet protection
• Court records monitoring
• Change of address monitoring
• Non-credit (Payday) loan monitoring
• Free FICO® Score monthly
• FICO® Score factors
• Experian credit report monthly

How FreeKick Builds Credit

FreeKick builds credit for children aged 13 to 25 in three simple steps:

1. Create an Account—Sign up on FreeKick.bank and choose a deposit that suits your budget
2. Set It and Forget It—FreeKick will start building 12 months’ worth of credit history for your child
3. Keep Growing—After 12 months, close the account without any fees (or continue building credit for your child for another year)

These steps give your child the opportunity to have five years’ worth of credit history when they turn 18. This will help them save $200,000 during their lifetimes by giving them access to better loan terms and other financial benefits.

FreeKick Pricing

FreeKick offers two pricing plans:

FDIC-Insured Deposit	Annual Fee
$3,000	$0 (Free)
No deposit	$149

Both plans offer:

1. Credit building for six children aged 13 to 25
2. Identity protection for two parents and six children aged 0 to 25

Secure your family’s identity and financial future—sign up for FreeKick today.