You know you’re at risk of identity theft. You’ve accepted that your partner, parents, and siblings are also targets. You’ve even come to terms with the fact your teenager may be in danger. But, sadly, this is not the extent of family members who face this threat. The biggest target of all may also be the most defenseless — your baby. That’s right, cybercriminals are now stealing the identities of infants and selling their personal data on the dark web.

Identity thieves increasingly target children and babies

“Get em before tax season.”

This is what the ad read on the dark web. And, if you could navigate past the myriad misspellings, you’d realize what it was they were offering — the Social Security numbers and personal information of infants. For just a few hundred dollars, a buyer can use the data to get a new credit card to max out, a loan they’ll never repay, a rental car to steal, or essentially for whatever fraudulent activity they choose.

The problem of child identity theft isn’t going away and unfortunately, may get worse now that many children are spending more time online for school and social activities.

51x

The rate of child identity theft is 51 times higher than that of adults

1M+

children were victims of identity theft in a single year

$2.6B

Total child identity theft losses were $2.6B — including +$540M in out-of-pocket costs to families in 2017

2.3M

students’ data was exposed in education data breaches in 2019

Why cybercriminals target children

First, children and babies have clean credit. Chances are, your toddler hasn’t filed for bankruptcy or defaulted on a mortgage. This means opening new lines of credit in their names is much easier than in adults.

Second, criminals can exploit children’s identities for many years without being caught. Most small children who are victims of identity theft don’t find out about the crime until they apply for credit when they are in their late teens. By then, identity thieves have been able to exploit their data for over 15 years.

Third, there’s much more money involved in selling the personal data of babies. In 2018, the price of an infant’s data set cost $300. For adults, that same information goes for just $10–$25 on the dark web.

Allstate Identity Protection can help you protect your family

One of the most important things you can do to protect yourself and your family is to sign up for comprehensive identity protection. Allstate Identity Protection’s family plans provide coverage for kids and teens of all ages, so you can help protect their personal data and give them a safe head start. If they are dependent on you financially or live under your roof, they’re covered.

Allstate Identity Protection offers:

  • Comprehensive identity and credit monitoring

  • Credit reports and credit scores

  • Dark web monitoring

  • Financial transaction monitoring

  • Social media monitoring

  • Proactive, real-time alerts

  • 24/7 dedicated support

  • Full-service fraud remediation with a dedicated privacy expert, should you or your family member become a victim of identity theft

  • $1 million in identity theft reimbursement for fraud-related expenses and stolen funds

Ready to get started?

Contact your Allstate Identity Protection sales representative today.

  1. Carnegie Mellon University CyLab “Child Identity Theft: New Evidence Indicates Identity Thieves are Targeting Children for Unused Social Security Numbers,” 2011

  2. Javelin Strategy & Research “2018 Child Identity Fraud Study,” April, 2018

  3. Identity Theft Resource Center, “How to Fight Child Identity Theft,” 2020

  4. CNN, “Infant Social Security numbers are for sale on the dark web,” 2018

 †Identity theft insurance covering expense and stolen funds reimbursement is underwritten by American Bankers Insurance Company of Florida, an Assurant company. The description herein is a summary and intended for informational purposes only and does not include all terms, conditions and exclusions of the policies described. Please refer to the actual policies for terms, conditions, and exclusions of coverage. Coverage may not be available in all jurisdictions.

 Product may be updated or modified prior to availability. Allstate Identity Protection is offered and serviced by InfoArmor, Inc., a subsidiary of The Allstate Corporation. Terms and conditions apply.

 *Certain features require additional activation and are only available with the Pro Plus plan.