KIDS ID Program
CSDL began working with the Boys & Girls Club in Washington State in November, 2009, on the Keeping identities Safe (KIDS) program to raise awareness of the need for parents and guardians to take steps to protect their children’s identities from theft and fraud. It follows a suggested series of actions to be undertaken by parents on behalf of their children and encourages parents to obtain Washington State ID cards for their children.
This program was formed because criminals are increasingly using the identity information of children to obtain driver's licenses and IDs in new names. In 2005, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) estimated that half a million children nationwide were victims of identity theft. In 2008, more than 20,500 identity theft complaints were filed with the FTC on behalf of individuals under the age of 19. According to the FTC, identity theft and identity fraud complaints have increased from 230,000 in 2000 to more than 1.2 million in 2008, costing Americans more than $1.8 billion annually. The reason for this is that children have no criminal records or credit history so it offers a blank slate for criminals, thus by using a fraudulently obtained driver’s license they can establish a line of credit or obtain employment with the child’s identity.
Two Levels of KIDS:
Level 1: A local sponsoring organization agrees to advise the community (through flyers, newspaper articles, state licensing agency contacts) that children are at risk from identity thieves and distributes educational brochures that explain why and how in detail. The brochures also explain that obtaining a state issued identity document reduces the risk, and will assist to correct the record should the child still be a victim of ID theft/ fraud.
Level 2 (Optional): Parents are asked to get their child a state issued identity document from the state licensing agency (DMV) (in Washington it is “DOL”), with the inducement that during the time period the program is offered there will be a 100% reimbursement. CSDL will reimburse all parents with valid vouchers during the program’s duration, usually 3 to 6 months from the distribution of educational brochures/vouchers.
The parent must bring the state issued Identification Document (ID) or an Enhanced Identification Document (EID) with the child, to a location where the sponsor can confirm that the child has been recently issued a state ID/EID. Based on a completed request for reimbursement, the parent receives a check in the amount of the state fee for the ID/EID.
Read more about this topic: Coalition For A Secure Driver's License
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