I have a dumb question but need to know the answer. Is it illegal to use your child's social security number to purchase items online or to use as info for a bill payment? I heard of someone who did that but just need to know if illegal.

You can't use a SSN to purchase anything; it's a number issued to an individual as identification. If you're using someone else's number as your own, then yes, that's illegal.

Ok, thanks for answering but will the system ever figure out that the number belongs to a child instead of an adult? And what will happen to that person?

I don't know exactly what could happen, but it is just plain wrong!

I have seen cases where a parent has such bad credit, that they use the child's SSN, and before they can even get started, the parent has ruined the child's credit along with their own.

Ok, thanks for answering but will the system ever figure out that the number belongs to a child instead of an adult? And what will happen to that person?


What will happen to which person? The child who presumably doesn't know his SS number is being used or the adult who is using it fraudulently?

Why don't you just post the situation instead of pieces of it so that the advice answers your questions - ?

To answer the last person's comment... Not a really long story, but I know someone who uses her child's SSN and has been doing it for a while. I know it's wrong and I've told her that but need to know will she eventually get caught? And what will happen to her?

When the child gets older and tries to get credit, and can't then they may be able to press charges against parent and sue parent.

If they can't pay it back, and store sues, they may find fraud and call in the police for ID theft