Treat a credit offer for a child as a verification task
A credit offer in your child's name is worth checking before you throw it away. The letter alone can't tell you where the sender got the name or whether any credit record exists. Write down what the envelope shows, keep the letter at home, and follow the FTC's child identity theft guidance. A marketing removal request can wait until you know more.
Record it, then check the official guidance
- Fill in the worksheet below from the envelope and letter: sender, date received, the name and address as printed, and any reference number. Keep the original with your own records.
- Compare the printed name with your child's actual name. Note any spelling differences, an added middle initial, or a different address, without guessing how they arose.
- Open the linked FTC guide on child identity theft. It explains contacting the credit bureaus for a manual search if you need to check for a record, and what authority or documents they may require.
- Read the FTC page on credit freezes and fraud alerts. Freezes and alerts deal with access to credit records and identity verification. Check the official instructions on whether and how they apply to a minor.
Two different questions
A promotional letter alone does not prove that a child has a credit file or is an identity-theft victim. The FTC provides a separate process for checking records and addressing any misuse found. Only the bureaus or other verified official recipients should receive documents that process requires.
Asking an advertiser to stop mail does not correct a credit record. Keep any later marketing preference separate from the records check, and store your notes with the original letter rather than uploading them to a mail-removal service.
Private worksheet for the household file
Example for your own use. Replace the bracketed details and review what you share.
What to keep on file
Put the completed worksheet in the same place as the letter. Add each official contact as you make it, with the date and any reference number you are given. Bring the worksheet with you if you later need to explain the timeline to a bureau or a sender.
Official sources
Choose the route that matches the mailing
Use the official route described in this guide for this kind of mail. For a separate ordinary advertisement, Junk Mail Magic can help prepare a sender-specific removal request.
Compare removal routes