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Securing Social Security Numbers
Concerns Spread from Identity Theft to Curbing Terrorism
 Listen to Larry Abramson's report.
 Read how ID thieves get your personal information.
Learn how to protect yourself from ID theft.
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How identity thieves get your personal information
• Stealing wallets, purses or your mail (including bank and credit card statements, pre-approved credit offers, telephone calling cards and tax information)
• Stealing personal information you provide to an unsecured Internet site, from business or personnel records at work and personal information in your home
• Rummaging through your trash and business trash for personal data
• Posing as someone who legitimately and legally needs information about you, such as employers or landlords
Source: Social Security Administration
How to minimize your risk of ID theft
• Give your Social Security number only when absolutely necessary. Ask to use other types of identifiers when possible.
• Don't carry your Social Security card; leave it in a secure place.
• Regularly check your credit record. Order your credit report from each of the three major credit bureaus each year and make sure all the information is correct.
• Follow up with creditors if your bills do not arrive on time. A missing credit card bill could mean an identity thief has taken over your credit card account and changed your billing address to cover his tracks.
• Before you reveal any personally identifying information, find out how it will be used and whether it will be shared with others. Ask if you may choose to have it kept confidential.
• Guard your mail from theft. Deposit outgoing mail in post office collection boxes or at your local post office. Promptly remove mail from your mailbox after it has been delivered. If you're planning to be away from home for an extended period, ask the post office to hold it for you until you return.
• Do not give out personal information on the phone, through the mail or over the Internet unless you have initiated the contact or know who you're dealing with. Identity thieves may pose as representatives of banks, Internet service providers and even government agencies to get you to reveal your SSN, mother's maiden name, financial account numbers and other identifying information. Legitimate organizations with whom you do business have the information they need and will not ask you for it.
• Be cautious about where you leave personal information in your home, especially if you have roommates, employ outside help or are having service work done in your home.
Source: Federal Trade Commission
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July 26, 2002 -- The government has been trying for years to stop identity thieves from stealing Social Security numbers, which can be the key to victims' bank accounts and credit cards. But now officials say the problem has taken on new importance as a way to stop terrorists, NPR's Larry Abramson reports on Morning Edition.
The Sept. 11 hijackers made up Social Security numbers and used them to set up bank accounts and obtain driver's licenses. That's one reason why the Treasury Department wants banks to be much more careful about checking the IDs of account holders. Banks will now be required to ask customers for proof that their Social Security numbers and other information is valid, says David Aufhauser, the department's general counsel.
"It will not happen without the consent of the account opener," Aufhauser says. "And if someone fails to give that consent, it certainly is a red flag that you probably should not be doing business with this fellow."
The Social Security Administration will have to devise a system for verifying account numbers. Currently, it's relatively easy to steal or make up a bogus Social Security number. Only employers and motor vehicle departments are able to check the numbers with the Social Security Administration.
A way to cross-verify the numbers is essential "so that the bad numbers -- the anomalies -- are weeded out and turned over to all the appropriate levels of law enforcement that deal with them," says Social Security Administration Inspector General Jim Huse.
Making Social Security numbers harder to find -- and steal -- is another key strategy to dealing with the problem. California state law now says Social Security numbers may not be openly displayed on things such as health forms, bank account records, or forms sent in the mail.
"Many of the stories of victimization that we hear are really basic things like somebody in a doctor's office took a bunch of numbers, (or) somebody who works in a pharmacy, and those people simply won't have access to the number in the same way," under the law, says California State Sen. Deborah Bowen, who authored the measure.
Birth certificates are also vulnerable to identity fraud. State registrars usually include seals or some other security feature in the documents they issue. But over 7,000 local registrars also issue birth certificates and they don't always use the same standards, says Linda Lewis of the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators.
DMVs are pushing uniform standards for all these documents. But until that happens, they continue to rely on the Social Security number.
"We've moved away from having the Social Security number shown on the face of the driver's license because of privacy concerns and ID theft kinds of concerns, but the use of the SSN is something that will not go away," Lewis says.
In Depth
Listen to an Oct. 18, 2001, All Things Considered report on illegal immigrants obtaining Virginia driver's licenses.
Browse for other NPR stories about identity theft.
Other Resources
• The Social Security Administration has reports on Social Security number misuse and identity theft as well as guidelines on reporting fraud.
• Read about the history of Social Security numbers.
• The Federal Trade Commission offers help on how to minimize your risk of identity theft and filing a complaint when it occurs.
• The American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators is developing identification security standards.
• The Electronic Privacy Information Center offers information on identity theft and privacy issues.
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