Ok, so I'm probably being a little jumpy here but here's the situation: I have given my mother in law my son's SS number no less than 3 times for them to buy him bonds. She misplaces it and asks for it again. Come to find, they have shared it with 2 other friends (for the purpose of purchasing bonds), who are most likely very trustworthy, and have also bought my son savings bonds for his b-day. My concern is more that there are 3 copies of my son's SSN floating around my in-laws home and my incredibly delinquent sister in law, who has been in some pretty serious financial and legal trouble, along with stealing money and firearms from the home, moved back in. I will not even go into details on the fight my husband and I got into over the whole giving the # out issue, but my questions are A)Is there a way to check a child's credit (to make sure there is lack thereof) and B) can you buy a savings bond without a Soc sec #? Thanks !!
you can get 1 free report from all 3 credit reporting agencies 1x per year per federal law. i know if you go online you have to be careful which site you chose so may be best to google the credit reporting agencies & contacting them directly? experian is one of them.
yes you need ss# to get savings bond
just so you know...they don't need the SSN to set it up...not even for a bank account...
to control the issue, take control of it
Here is what it says on www.annualcreditreport.com/cra/index.jsp
FAQ: How do I request a credit report by mail for a child under 13 years of age?
The credit reporting agencies do not knowingly maintain credit files on minor children. If you suspect that your minor child's information has been used fraudulently, you should contact the credit reporting agencies directly and report the illegal use of your child's information to law enforcement. Please supply each credit reporting agency with your child's complete name, address, date of birth and a copy of the minor child's birth certificate and social security card. Additionally, please provide a copy of your driver's license or other government-issued proof of your identity, which includes your current address, and a current utility bill containing your current address so the credit reporting agencies may promptly respond to your request. The addresses for the credit reporting agencies are listed below:
Equifax
P.O. Box 740256
Atlanta, Georgia 30374
Experian
P.O. Box 9532
Allen, Texas 75013
TransUnion
P.O. Box 6790
Fullerton, CA 92834
Part two--I have been buying my cousins savings bonds for years and have used my own SS number. I keep my cousins as a co-owner. Ask them to do the same. As far as keeping them safe, I keep all of our savings bonds in safe-deposit box. Prior to having the box, we kept them with all of our other important documents, including the SS cards.
Good luck.
My father purchased a savings bond for my daughter and I know he did not have her SSN.
I only have one additional piece of advice to the information from the previous poster. That is, I'd strongly recommend that in the future, if anyone offers to purhase bonds or do any sort of financial dealings on behalf of your children, to be there physically to give the information directly as needed. Not only does this protect your child's private information, it is also prudent to be aware of what others are signing your child's name to.
I don't mean to chastise, nor question the character of your family...but you don't have the advantage of knowing the people with whom they are doing business with.
My family has been impacted by the problem you are fearing most. In an almost identical situation, a relative who had access to my dh's SS# and other financial information did use it to commit credit fraud..and it's effects were disasterous.
Regaining control of your identity and clearing credit is next to impossible, even following the steps highlighted in the previous post. What's worse is if any reported negative action as a result of your identity being stolen you can not just get another SS#. Creditors don't care who is at fault and often will hold you responsible for recovering the money until you have legal documentation (police reports) to prove that a crime had indeed taken place.
Law enforcement and courts see so many of these cases daily, that it's a real all out battle to "get your life back". It takes many long hours and filed police reports before you see progress. It has taken dh almost 5 years to get his credit and good name recovered, and tons of money in legal fees. If the person who has stolen the info is savvy enough, he/she may use your name as an alias if and when they are questioned or charged with fraudulent activity! Getting rid of that is whole new problem in itself.
Don't hesitate to confront your parents. This is really serious! Your child's life could be wrecked before he gets started. And if you think it can't just do a search on the internet. There are many stories of kids finding out their credit was stolen when they were very young when they apply for college loans or try to buy their first car. But because so many years had passed, there is very little they can do to clear their name or credit... and will probably never be able to own a house etc. without a serious fight on their hands.
Go to familysecure.com. There you can watch your entire family's credit history, including your child. If anything were to pop up, it would be very easy to dispute, given your child's age.
