Parents face hurdles in unfreezing children's credit as they reach adulthood

FOR HELP. THEY STARTED TO BECOME ACTIVE ONLINE AND I JUST DIDN’T WANT THEM TO ACCIDENTALLY OVERSHARE. UM, YOU KNOW, DETAILS THAT COULD END UP COMPROMISING THEIR CREDIT. SO ABOUT FIVE YEARS AGO, JEN IVANCIE DECIDED TO GO THROUGH THE PROCESS OF FREEZING HER TWO SONS CREDIT FILES THAT WOULD BLOCK ANYONE, INCLUDING THEM FROM OPENING AN ACCOUNT IN THEIR NAMES. SOMEBODY COULD STEAL THEIR THEIR IDENTITY. I JUST DIDN’T WANT THEM TO RUN THAT RISK WITHOUT KNOWING. SO I THOUGHT IT WAS A GOOD IDEA TO FREEZE THEIR CREDIT AND JUST THINK SIMPLY JUST THOUGHT IT WOULD BE AN EASY THING TO REVERSE. BUT SHE WAS WRONG WITH HER OLDEST SON, JACK, NOW HEADED TO COLLEGE IN NORTH CAROLINA, SHE WAS HOPING TO GET HIM HIS OWN CREDIT CARD, BUT HASN’T BEEN ABLE TO UNFREEZE HIS CREDIT AT EXPERIAN, ONE OF THE THREE MAJOR CREDIT BUREAUS THEY TELL YOU YOU NEED A PIN TO DO ANYTHING, SO IF FOLLOWED, WHATEVER THEIR PROCESS WAS TO REQUEST THAT PIN AND IT’S NOT WE’VE NOT RECEIVED IT. AND SHE SAYS, GOOD LUCK GETTING ANYONE ON THE PHONE AT EXPERIAN TO HELP. I’VE TRIED CALLING THEM DAY AND NIGHT BUSINESS HOURS, WEEKENDS, LATE HOURS, YOU KNOW, WHEN THEY MAYBE WEREN’T BUSY. I STILL CAN’T GET A PERSON ON THE PHONE. IT’S ALMOST LIKE NOBODY WORKS THERE. THAT’S THE PROBLEM. IF YOU’VE GOT A PROBLEM WITH THE CREDIT BUREAUS AND I’VE TOLD YOU ABOUT IT BEFORE, THERE’S THE STORY OF JOHN AND MARY NEAL, WHO SUDDENLY KEPT GETTING DECLINED FOR CREDIT, ALL BECAUSE AN EMPLOYEE AT LOWE’S MISTYPED JOHN’S SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER ON A STORE CREDIT CARD APPLICATION, OR EILEEN D’ENTREMONT, WHO ASKED US FOR OUR HELP WHEN SHE WAS DECLARED DEAD BY THE CREDIT BUREAUS. THANKS TO AN ERROR BY KOHL’S. I WAS A GUEST FIRST AND THEN IT STARTED TO KIND OF LIKE, WHY WOULD THEY THINK I WAS DECEASED? FREEZING A MINOR’S CREDIT IS A COMPLICATED PROCESS. PARENTS OR GUARDIANS ARE REQUIRED TO COMPILE COPIES OF A LENGTHY LIST OF DOCUMENTS, INCLUDING A CHILD’S BIRTH CERTIFICATE AND SOCIAL SECURITY CARD, AND MAIL THEM OFF TO THE CREDIT BUREAUS, ALONG WITH AN APPLICATION. THE BUREAUS THEN CREATE A CREDIT FILE FOR YOUR CHILD AND FREEZE IT. JEN SAYS SHE HAS NO RECORD OF EVER GETTING ANY CONFIRMATION OF THE FREEZE OR A PIN. BACK IN THE MAIL. ALL TRAINED PRETTY WELL TO KEEP PIN NUMBERS WHEN THEY NEED THEM. BUT NO, I NEVER RECALL SEEING ANYTHING LIKE THAT SINCE CHILDREN UNDER 18 CAN’T APPLY FOR CREDIT ON THEIR OWN. SOME EXPERTS SAY FREEZING THEIR CREDIT IS ONLY NECESSARY IF YOU THINK IT MIGHT HAVE ALREADY BEEN COMPROMISED FOR INSTANCE, THEY START RECEIVING CREDIT CARD APPLICATIONS IN THE MAIL, BUT CONSUMER ADVOCATE KEVIN BRASLER, EDITOR OF THE NONPROFIT CONSUMER’S CHECKBOOK, RECOMMENDS PARENTS DO TAKE THIS STEP. JUST KNOW IT CAN BE WORKED TO GET IT UNFROZEN. MOST CHILDREN WHO HAVE BEEN VICTIMIZED, THE FAMILY’S UNAWARE OF IT FOR YEARS AFTER WE CONTACTED EXPERIAN, THEY TOLD US SOMETHING IMPORTANT ABOUT THIS PROCESS. JEN CAN’T UNFREEZE HER SON’S CREDIT BECAUSE HE’S REACHED THE AGE OF 18. HE HAS TO DO IT. SO IF YOU DID THIS FOR YOUR KIDS, YOU MIGHT WANT TO UNFREEZE THEIR CREDIT BEFORE THEIR 18TH BIRTHDAY OR ELSE THEY’LL HAVE TO TACKLE THE PROCESS. EXPERIAN DID PROMISE THAT A CUSTOMER CARE AGENT WOULD REACH OUT TO HELP RESOLVE THIS, AND SAID, PARENTS WHO WANT TO UNFREEZE THEIR CHILD’S CREDIT HA

Raising kids today involves keeping them safe from all kinds of potential danger, including identity theft. With so many data breaches over the last decade, many parents have chosen to freeze their children's credit."They started to become active online," said Jenn Ivancic, a mother of two boys. "I just didn't want them to accidentally overshare details that could end up compromising their credit."About five years ago, Ivancic decided to freeze her children's credit to block anyone, including the boys themselves, from opening an account in their names."Somebody could steal their identity," Ivancic said. "I just didn't want them to run that risk without knowing, so I thought it was a good idea to freeze their credit and simply thought it would be an easy thing to reverse."But she was wrong.With her oldest son, Jack, now headed to college in North Carolina, Ivancic hoped to get him his own credit card. So far, she has been unable to unfreeze his credit at Experian, one of the three major credit bureaus."They tell you you need a PIN to do anything," Ivancic said. "So I've followed whatever their process was to request that PIN, and we've not received it."And she said good luck getting anyone on the phone at Experian to help."I've tried calling them day and night, during business hours, weekends, late hours when they maybe weren't busy," Ivancic said. "Still can't get a person on the phone. It's almost like nobody works there."That's the problem if you've got a problem with the credit bureaus.As NewsCenter 5 has shared before, there's the story of John and Mary Neale, who suddenly kept getting declined for credit all because an employee at Lowe's mistyped John's Social Security number on a store credit card application.We also told you about Eileen d'Entremont, who asked for our help when she was declared dead by the credit bureaus after an administrative error by Kohl's."I was aghast first," she said. "Then it started to, kind of like, why would they think I was deceased?"Freezing a minor's credit is a complicated process. Parents or guardians are required to compile copies of a lengthy list of documents, including a child's birth certificate and Social Security card, to mail to the credit bureaus along with an application. The bureaus then create a credit file for the child and freeze it.Ivancic said she has no record of ever receiving any confirmation of the freeze or a PIN in return."We're all trained pretty well to keep PIN numbers when you need them," she said. "But no, I never recall seeing anything like that."Since children under 18 can't apply for credit on their own, some experts say freezing their credit is only necessary if you think their identity might already be compromised. For instance, if they start receiving credit card applications in the mail.But consumer advocate Kevin Brasler, editor of the nonprofit Consumer's Checkbook, recommends parents still take this step. Just know it requires extra work to get it unfrozen."Most children who've been victimized, their family is unaware of it for years," he said.After NewsCenter 5 contacted Experian, the credit bureau told us something important about this process: Ivancic can't unfreeze her son's credit because he's reached the age of 18. He has to do it since he's now an adult.So if you did this process for your kids, you might want to unfreeze their credit before their 18th birthday, or else they'll have to tackle the process themselves.

BOSTON —

"They started to become active online," said Jenn Ivancic, a mother of two boys. "I just didn't want them to accidentally overshare details that could end up compromising their credit."

About five years ago, Ivancic decided to freeze her children's credit to block anyone, including the boys themselves, from opening an account in their names.

"Somebody could steal their identity," Ivancic said. "I just didn't want them to run that risk without knowing, so I thought it was a good idea to freeze their credit and simply thought it would be an easy thing to reverse."

But she was wrong.

With her oldest son, Jack, now headed to college in North Carolina, Ivancic hoped to get him his own credit card. So far, she has been unable to unfreeze his credit at Experian, one of the three major credit bureaus.

"They tell you you need a PIN to do anything," Ivancic said. "So I've followed whatever their process was to request that PIN, and we've not received it."

And she said good luck getting anyone on the phone at Experian to help.

"I've tried calling them day and night, during business hours, weekends, late hours when they maybe weren't busy," Ivancic said. "Still can't get a person on the phone. It's almost like nobody works there."

That's the problem if you've got a problem with the credit bureaus.

As NewsCenter 5 has shared before, there's the story of John and Mary Neale, who suddenly kept getting declined for credit all because an employee at Lowe's mistyped John's Social Security number on a store credit card application.

We also told you about Eileen d'Entremont, who asked for our help when she was declared dead by the credit bureaus after an administrative error by Kohl's.

"I was aghast first," she said. "Then it started to, kind of like, why would they think I was deceased?"

Freezing a minor's credit is a complicated process. Parents or guardians are required to compile copies of a lengthy list of documents, including a child's birth certificate and Social Security card, to mail to the credit bureaus along with an application. The bureaus then create a credit file for the child and freeze it.

Ivancic said she has no record of ever receiving any confirmation of the freeze or a PIN in return.

"We're all trained pretty well to keep PIN numbers when you need them," she said. "But no, I never recall seeing anything like that."

Since children under 18 can't apply for credit on their own, some experts say freezing their credit is only necessary if you think their identity might already be compromised. For instance, if they start receiving credit card applications in the mail.

But consumer advocate Kevin Brasler, editor of the nonprofit Consumer's Checkbook, recommends parents still take this step. Just know it requires extra work to get it unfrozen.

"Most children who've been victimized, their family is unaware of it for years," he said.

After NewsCenter 5 contacted Experian, the credit bureau told us something important about this process: Ivancic can't unfreeze her son's credit because he's reached the age of 18. He has to do it since he's now an adult.

So if you did this process for your kids, you might want to unfreeze their credit before their 18th birthday, or else they'll have to tackle the process themselves.

Parents face hurdles in unfreezing children's credit as they reach adulthood

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