My wife and I share one credit card. It gives us a way to build our credit, maintain our finances and of course gives us a way out when things are slow financially. We never let it get out of control and pay the bills on time. And with just one credit card it is easy to monitor our accounts for fraud.

Anyone with a mailbox has opportunity after opportunity to obtain more credit. We seem to get more credit card applications in the mail than actual bills or enjoyable letters. It is stunning how much credit card companies spend on snail mail advertising.

I normally take out the application, shred it and recycle the rest. But one credit card advertisement really caught my eye last week. It was not for me or my wife but it was from our lone credit card company. The problem was that it was addressed to my 6-year-old son.

Now, like any parent, I think he is growing up too fast. But to get a credit card application while he is still learning to ride his bike without training wheels is outrageous and apparently illegal.

The Credit Card Accountability, Responsibility and Disclosure Act (or Credit CARD Act) of 2009 made it illegal for credit card companies to send minors credit card applications.

I contacted the company and the operator told me they had no idea how his name got into the system. This triggered some red flags for me. How did they get my son’s name and address? Had someone gotten hold of his Social Security number and stolen his identification? I began to get worried.

The only thing the credit card company could tell me was to check his credit report. When I was on the phone I remember thinking to myself “OK, that’s not hard.” They gave me the numbers of the three big credit reporting agencies. I called all three. That was where the biggest frustration began. All three had automated telephone lines. I couldn’t even ask if getting his credit report was necessary.

So I went through the automated steps on the phone just to be met with a message at the end telling me that I had to submit the request online for a minor. All three credit reporting agencies told me the same thing. I checked out all three websites only to find that I would have to print out a PDF and send in my request by snail mail. All the while someone might be using my son’s identity to go on a shopping spree.

But I was astonished when I read what I would have to send in to actually get his credit report. It starts with his Social Security number, birth date, address and a copy of his birth certificate. But we were not done. I would have to send in my Social Security number, birth date, address, a copy of my driver’s license and a copy of my utility bill to prove residency.

So basically they wanted me to send them, through the United States Postal Service – going through numerous people’s hands and sitting in unmonitored places – the most important information to protecting my identity. I was astounded.

I was even more confounded to learn that Social Security numbers are labeled by the date issued and not the person’s date of birth. There is no way to check to see if a Social Security number is that of a minor. Just because it was issued six years ago does not mean that it wasn’t issued to an adult immigrant. Companies have no way of knowing if a minor’s identity is being used, or an adult’s.

For criminals, stealing a minor’s identity is a lot less risky. After all, there are very few people who think to jump through the hoops to check their son or daughter’s credit score. But it is critical. Many minors who graduate high school or college find out that they owe thousands of dollars before they even start their life.

Matt Phelps is the Assistant Regional Editor for the Bothell/Kenmore and Kirkland Reporter Newspapers.