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The perpetrator may be a family member or someone known by the family. It could also be a stranger who purposely targets children because of the lengthy time between the theft of the information and the discovery of the crime.

You can order a credit report for a child by providing a copy of the child's birth certificate for most requests.

Here’s more advice on reporting child victims:

• Only speak with fraud investigators when contacting credit issuers or collection agencies.

• Point out that the child is a minor and that by law is not permitted to enter into a contract.

• Ask to have all accounts, application inquiries and collection notices removed immediately from your child’s credit report. You can do this via the credit issuer or through a dispute process with the credit reporting agencies. The Identity Theft Resource Center (ITRC) recommends that you make the request of both groups. In the end, the credit issuer is the final decision maker as to whether to accept the claim of fraud or not.

• Request copies of all application and transaction records. Make copies and provide those to the police investigating the case. They may help you discover how this crime occurred.

• If the offender is a parent or relative, or if this is a case that could be tied into a custody or divorce issue, it may be necessary to involve a family law attorney. This is especially true in joint custody cases.

Contact credit issuers should there be evidence of fraud in order to clear your child’s records.