Proposal To Protect Foster Care Youth From Identity Theft

Children in foster care are at risk for having their identities stolen--they're more transient and many people have access to their personal information.

D.C. council member Tommy Wells says there are approximately 2,200 children in the District's foster care system. He says as they "age out" of the system and apply independently for something that requires a background check such as a student loan, they sometimes find they've had their identities stolen.

Wells says the proposal to protect foster care children's identities is based on one in California, where it was often the biological parents who were stealing their child's identity.

Since foster care children move so much, Wells says, bill collections can't find them so they only find out years later. Wells is proposing the Child and Family Services Agency request credit reports on behalf of children. The proposal is expected to be discussed by the council within the next few months.

Kavitha Cardoza reports...