How identity thieves steal a child's personal information.

Most children are now issued Social Security numbers early in life, often at birth. There are a number of places children's personal information, including Social Security numbers, may be vulnerable, including:

• Hospital records and physicians' offices
• School records
• Day care centers
• Library cards
• Sports team applications
• Online social networks, in which thieves coax information from teens

In effect, once an identity thief has his or her hands on a child's personal information it is like a blank check the criminal can run with for years.