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Attorney General Mike DeWine
DeWine
Announces Support for Child Credit Freeze Bill
HB 317 Would Help Parents Protect Children from Identity Theft
(COLUMBUS, Ohio)—Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine today announced
support for Ohio House Bill 317, which would allow parents or guardians
to “freeze” a child’s credit record to help stop identity thieves from
opening accounts in the child’s name. The bill was introduced today by
Representative Ron Maag (R-Lebanon).
“To identity thieves, a child’s identity is a perfect target – a blank
slate,” Attorney General DeWine said. “With the right information,
imposters can take out credit cards, loans, or even a mortgage in a
child’s name, ruining victims’ credit before they’re even old enough to
drive. This bill will help parents stop the problem before it occurs.”
The legislation would allow the parent or guardian of a minor under age
16 to apply a security freeze (or “credit freeze”) in the minor’s name.
The security freeze would help ensure that credit is not
inappropriately granted in the minor’s name.
Currently under Ohio law, an individual must have an existing credit
report in order to apply a security freeze. Adults generally have
credit reports, but children generally do not, meaning children
generally cannot take advantage of the protections a security freeze
provides.
Under HB 317, if a minor does not have a credit report when a security
freeze is requested, the credit reporting agencies would create a
“credit record” for the minor and then apply the freeze to that record.
Representative Maag worked with Attorney General DeWine’s Consumer
Protection Section (Identity Theft Unit) in the development of HB 317.
“This concern was brought to my attention when a constituent of mine
reached out and informed me that their child’s personal information had
been stolen,” Representative Maag said. “This is an important issue to
address in the State of Ohio, and I am grateful to work together with
Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine and his office to protect children’s
identities.”
Attorney General DeWine created the Identity Theft Unit in 2012 to help
victims recover from the effects of identity theft, such as credit
reporting errors and fraudulently opened accounts. Since its creation,
the unit has received approximately 3,500 complaints.
Individuals who want help avoiding or recovering from identity theft
should contact the Ohio Attorney General’s Office at
www.OhioAttorneyGeneral.gov or 800-282-0515.
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