Using Your SS Number As ID

Geico266

Geico266

Touchdown! Greaser!
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Geico
Rant on. :mad2:

How in this day and age are companies and the government still requiring you to disclose your SS number as an ID? :mad2:

I tried to buy some stuff from a Canadian company. They said there would be no duty or other charges, but they wanted my SSN for the import broker duty forms to be filed with the government. :rolleyes:

The government is incapable of securing any server let alone one for customs info.

They said they would use my company Fed ID number instead. I said I not buying these items through the company. Doing so could create tax issues and "contaminate" the business with unrelated personal purchases and may creatare liability issues from the company to me personally.

Why in the hell do we still use SSNs for IDs? :mad2:

Rant off! Thanks I feel better now.
 
You could just make one up, or transpose digits. I don't think anyone would really be able to tell.
 
The really stupid part is that people are even _able_ to do anything with your SS#.

There should be more checks other than "do you know the SS#". Preferably, biometric, but that tends to freak people out.
 
It's really irrelevant, anyone that wants the number can get it, you have to put it on many public record items.
 
The Chinese (and by now who knows who else) have everything about me from birth till now as a result of the OPM Hack so I don't really give a S*** anymore. Besides, I have enough free credit coverage from other hacks I think I'm covered till 2099.:rolleyes:

Cheers
 
Henning said:
It's really irrelevant, anyone that wants the number can get it, you have to put it on many public record items.
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I've also put it in dozens of other people's logbooks. Remember when it was your pilot's license number? It was also my driver's license number when I lived in Idaho in the 1980s. When did we start getting more secretive about it?
 
Everskyward said:
I've also put it in dozens of other people's logbooks. Remember when it was your pilot's license number? It was also my driver's license number when I lived in Idaho in the 1980s. When did we start getting more secretive about it?
Click to expand...

Yep, I remember. When is is August 6 1993.:lol:
 
Geico266 said:
As in Fe!ony?



False reporting your information is illegal.
Click to expand...


Sorry, I forgot that you'll get the electric chair for "accidentally" transposing two digits on your SS#.

My bad.
 
I've never seen the big deal about it. I don't think there's much you can really do with my SSN. But I recall reading somewhere that private companies can't require you to disclose it unless it's required by the IRS. So when our company started asking for it as a standard practice I mentioned that and was told, "we don't require it - but there's not law that says that we have to do business with someone who won't provide it willingly." For all practical purposes, there's no difference.

Good luck trying to get an internet connection, a cell phone, visit a doctor, etc. w/o giving it out.
 
Everskyward said:
I've also put it in dozens of other people's logbooks. Remember when it was your pilot's license number? It was also my driver's license number when I lived in Idaho in the 1980s. When did we start getting more secretive about it?
Click to expand...

It isn't your pilot number now why? :dunno:

When was it okay to use it for anything other than SSN? It wasn't. It became easy and now thieves are taking advantage of it. Continuing to use it because "they say so" is pretty silly and even the government has recognized it should no longer be used for identification...... unless you are dealing with customers. :mad2:
 
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Geico266 said:
When was it okay to use it for anything other than SSN? It wasn't. It became easy and now thieves are taking advantage of it. Continuing to use it because "they say so" is pretty irresponsible. :rolleyes2:
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Thieves don't need your SSN, and if they want it they can get it.
 
My SSAN card states right on it "FOR SOCIAL SECURITY AND TAX PUPOSES, NOT FOR IDENTIFICATION" RIGHT ON THE FRONT OF THE CARD...Albeit my card is 50 years old...
 
Agree, it's ridiculous. The biggest reason that it's such a security risk has really little to do with social security itself as much as it became the equal to sharing your password in cleartext to whomever the hell wants it when everyone knew that every other company used that as your "password" for various security critical tasks.
 
Geico266 said:
It isn't your pilot number now why? :dunno:
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It probably still would be if I hadn't gotten my pilot certificate stolen in 2007. When I got the replacement they changed the number automatically.

The thieves probably weren't bright enough to know that was my SS#, that is if they even recognized it as a pilot's certificate. Most likely they were only interested in the cash inside my wallet.
 
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Geico266 said:
They said they would use my company Fed ID number instead. I said I not buying these items through the company. Doing so could create tax issues and "contaminate" the business with unrelated personal purchases and may creatare liability issues from the company to me personally.
Click to expand...

For those that still want some official tax-based identification number, and without getting into the "who cares, we have no privacy anyway" discussion, I have a personal FedID number. Takes about 10 minutes to get one.
 
What's more interesting if you are talking about security is the way doctors and medical personnel identify someone. They ask date of birth before every treatment or test, which is much more public than people's SS numbers.
 
Everskyward said:
What's more interesting if you are talking about security is the way doctors and medical personnel identify someone. They ask date of birth before every treatment or test, which is much more public than people's SS numbers.
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I've found most will ask for a photo ID if they don't already know you well.
 
Basically, I agree with Henning on this one. If someone wants your information, they can find it. However, that doesn't mean that you have to volunteer yourself as an easy victim for identity theft, but keeping these types of identifying markers private is becoming increasingly difficult.

I used to work in management for a Fortune 100 company, and more than once was a recipient of employee names, addresses, and SSNs stored in unsecured spreadsheets sent to internal mailing lists. I did point out the risk associated with that practice, and it subsequently stopped in my department, but who knows where all of that information landed.

Over the past few years, I've frequently visited clients who REQUIRE the release of personal information, including home address, driver's license, and SSN, before they will grant access to their facilities. If I want to do business with those companies, I really don't have much choice, and of course I have no idea if a data security policy exists or how well it is practiced at those companies.

Credit freezes are probably helpful for protecting credit history, but not necessarily effective against identity theft.


JKG
 
midlifeflyer said:
I've found most will ask for a photo ID if they don't already know you well.
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I haven't really found that to be the case, although they do ask for your insurance card. Mine doesn't have a picture on it, however.
 
Geico266 said:
Rant on. :mad2:

How in this day and age are companies and the government still requiring you to disclose your SS number as an ID? :mad2:

I tried to buy some stuff from a Canadian company. They said there would be no duty or other charges, but they wanted my SSN for the import broker duty forms to be filed with the government. :rolleyes:

The government is incapable of securing any server let alone one for customs info.

They said they would use my company Fed ID number instead. I said I not buying these items through the company. Doing so could create tax issues and "contaminate" the business with unrelated personal purchases and may creatare liability issues from the company to me personally.

Why in the hell do we still use SSNs for IDs? :mad2:

Rant off! Thanks I feel better now.
Click to expand...

Assuming it's your company, I'd just use that ID. I hear your concern, but as long as everything is documented and the items you are importing are legal, I don't see the problem.

We've been bringing stuff in from China, Taiwan and Hong Kong and shipping stuff out all over the world for the last 18 years and nobody has ever questioned us on it.
 
Everskyward said:
What's more interesting if you are talking about security is the way doctors and medical personnel identify someone. They ask date of birth before every treatment or test, which is much more public than people's SS numbers.
Click to expand...

Just part of the protocol to avoid giving a patient the wrong medication or treatment.
 
Geico266 said:
As in Fe!ony?

False reporting your information is illegal.
Click to expand...

Unless it's an official US government form that is one of the half dozen officially santiontioned uses for an SSN, how would it be illegal?

"Hey! You lied to me about a number I have no legal right to collect!!" Tough. It wasn't fraud, because you have my correct name and address.
 
FlySince9 said:
My SSAN card states right on it "FOR SOCIAL SECURITY AND TAX PUPOSES, NOT FOR IDENTIFICATION" RIGHT ON THE FRONT OF THE CARD...Albeit my card is 50 years old...
Click to expand...

Mine has it as well, and I am 57....:wink2:

I am looking to purchase 2 cases of oil from a distributor and for their account purposes, they want my Federal ID or SS#. I gave them my DL number instead.
 
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Amazing how much information sheeple will volunteer.

Every physician's office I have visited in the last five years or so has given me a form to fill out with all kinds of personal information sought, including driver's license and SSN. I routinely decline to provide, and the clerks rarely have a clue what to do then. I've never been refused services.
 
SCCutler said:
Amazing how much information sheeple will volunteer.
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You have to pick your battles. This isn't even on the radar with respect to the problems most people encounter with companies (incl. doctors).
 
Gerhardt said:
You have to pick your battles. This isn't even on the radar with respect to the problems most people encounter with companies (incl. doctors).
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I don't for a moment think it makes much difference, but I think it important to gently educate people... :D
 
Geico266 said:
Rant on. :mad2:

How in this day and age are companies and the government still requiring you to disclose your SS number as an ID? :mad2:

I tried to buy some stuff from a Canadian company. They said there would be no duty or other charges, but they wanted my SSN for the import broker duty forms to be filed with the government. :rolleyes:

The government is incapable of securing any server let alone one for customs info.

They said they would use my company Fed ID number instead. I said I not buying these items through the company. Doing so could create tax issues and "contaminate" the business with unrelated personal purchases and may creatare liability issues from the company to me personally.

Why in the hell do we still use SSNs for IDs? :mad2:

Rant off! Thanks I feel better now.
Click to expand...

US Customs requires a "tax ID" number for certain imports. The ultimate importer - that would be YOU - are required to provide the info. The company is acting as a broker, but you're the importer. I went through this when I shipped some stuff home that I bought in London.

Reference:
https://help.cbp.gov/app/answers/de...er-/-tax-identification-number-/-irs-number-/

midlifeflyer said:
For those that still want some official tax-based identification number, and without getting into the "who cares, we have no privacy anyway" discussion, I have a personal FedID number. Takes about 10 minutes to get one.
Click to expand...

Exactly.
 
SCCutler said:
Amazing how much information sheeple will volunteer.

Every physician's office I have visited in the last five years or so has given me a form to fill out with all kinds of personal information sought, including driver's license and SSN. I routinely decline to provide, and the clerks rarely have a clue what to do then. I've never been refused services.
Click to expand...

Hell, the f'in $7/hr CABLE COMPANY CSR knows your full name, address, and "last four" of your SSN.
 
JGoodish said:
Credit freezes are probably helpful for protecting credit history, but not necessarily effective against identity theft.
Click to expand...


Ok, but assuming a bad guy has your SS number (not your debit or credit card numbers), how many really bad things can he do to you if you have a credit freeze?
 
SCCutler said:
Amazing how much information sheeple will volunteer.

Every physician's office I have visited in the last five years or so has given me a form to fill out with all kinds of personal information sought, including driver's license and SSN. I routinely decline to provide, and the clerks rarely have a clue what to do then. I've never been refused services.
Click to expand...
I'm always asked for SSN and photo ID on first visit, with rare exceptions. And I've tried to not provide my SSN, only to be told that it's required if I want to be a patient there.

OTOH when filling out the 8500-8 you are given the option of letting the system generate a random "SSN" for you. Given how poor a record the fedgov has of securing their servers, I opt for the random id.
 
No thanks ,if you must have my SS number I'm not interested.
 
After I told them "Thanks, but no thanks" they finally figured out that if they split the order in 2 they could avoid have to collect my info. This took them 3 days?
 
Just food for thought. I have an IT company and we did a high level assessment for a prospective client. This was a CPA firm. They had punched a hole in their firewall in order to enable remote access (Terminal Services). We suggested that they should secure their access solution with an authenticated and encrypted solution (not expensive), but they weren't interested. What they had worked and they said it hasn't been an issue. All of their clients' tax data including SS#'s were accessible through their remote access solution. No password policies either. I am just pointing out that the stewardship of your data isn't always ensured (most people trust their CPA). We did some work for a small bank a number of years ago. The head IT guy figured he needed to know everyone's password in order to do his job. So, he ran L0phtCrack against their SAM database (better than 90% success rate back then). We let the CIO know, but the guy kept his job. Security is an illusion. It is similar to the illusion of locking your doors, when every thief knows they can just go in your backyard and bust out a window.
 
NoHeat said:
Ok, but assuming a bad guy has your SS number (not your debit or credit card numbers), how many really bad things can he do to you if you have a credit freeze?
Click to expand...

A credit freeze only prevents the three credit bureaus from reporting on your information. If an activity doesn't make a credit inquiry to one of the three credit bureaus, the freeze will do nothing.

A credit freeze would typically be effective at preventing an extension of additional credit, but would not necessarily prevent someone from using stolen information to establish a new identity using your personal information, engage in non-financial criminal activity using your identity, or to commit tax fraud. Those are just some examples which come to mind.


JKG
 
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