Sen. Charles Schumer is proposing a measure to fight what he calls a growing trend of child-identification theft.
The New York Democrat said during a news conference Sunday that children under 18 are easy targets because their credit reports have mostly clean histories.
He's proposing legislation that would automatically freeze credit cards for kids until a parent or guardian unfreezes them. In addition, credit companies would be barred from allowing people to open accounts for children unless the account openers prove they're the children's parents or guardians.
Schumer said many youths learn that their identities have been stolen long after the fact, when they check their credit reports for the first time and realize they're blemished.
He plans to introduce the proposal in the Senate next week.
