Guarding Your Social Security Number

re: Guarding Your Social Security Number

zoarian — Fri, 04 Jan 2008 19:31:24 GMT

UNPLUG and stop using credit period!! Stop paying their interest(usary), thats the only way to get out of the system is to stop using the system.

re: Guarding Your Social Security Number

zoarian — Fri, 04 Jan 2008 19:28:43 GMT

I use a fraud protection company called Life Lock, its only 10 bucks a month for a little piece of mind. My wallet was stolen a few years ago and the DMV would not issue me a new DL because it didnt have my social on it. The police told me that people cant steal your identity with a DL, but it still bothered me...And that is absolutley correct about the IRS; the bank cartel, Fed Reserve, IRS, are the Secret Govt and they dont care if its written as law or not; america is a corp owned by them and they want that interest on the bogus $$ they print or else!!

re: Guarding Your Social Security Number

Jack Root — Fri, 04 Jan 2008 09:16:08 GMT

The only way to know if you can refuse an SSN request is to refuse it! Many times it is not necessary. Why would your gas company need your SSN if you provide your credit card #. After having been in retail for years I can tell you that your SSN is out there for the taking. Some companies do not destroy information when they are finished with it. They simply toss it in the dumpster.

re: Guarding Your Social Security Number

mlynch — Fri, 04 Jan 2008 03:07:06 GMT

I think the real problem stems from the fact that the our laws protect corporations, not identity theft victims. It becomes the VICTIM'S responsibility to fix all the problems caused by an assault on his reputation, credit rating, identity, etc. What would happen if agencies and businesses that provided credit were forced to suffer the financial loss when they provide credit to someone without confirming the person's identity? I am sure those companies would be forced to verify a potential customer's identity, rather than just assume they are who they claim to be.

It's not a cure-all, I admit. Fraud will always happen, because crooks will find a way. However, if our laws held banks, credit card companies, stores, etc., liable for fraudulent purchases that they could have avoided, we would not have such an identity-theft crisis.

Maybe we should all shred those "easy credit offers" we get in the mail and return them in the postage-paid envelopes. It's a start.

re: Guarding Your Social Security Number

GaryT — Fri, 04 Jan 2008 00:52:22 GMT

I work for a company named that enrolls contractors to become part of its network. In order to guarantee to homeowners that the contractor has been prescreened, we need the SSN to do a criminal background check. The SSN gets encrypted and is not accessible to anyone who might succeed in hacking into our system. With over 50,000 contractors in our network, our information has never been compromised. I think your article is unwarranted in cases like ours where we must utilize the SSN to do background checks.

re: Guarding Your Social Security Number

curious7 — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 23:51:29 GMT

When filling out forms, using credit cards, etc., take the time to look around you. Look out for camera phones, as these have been used to steal PIN numbers, and credit card numbers. Shop safe America, because as you may have already surmised, we are moving to a cashless society.

re: Guarding Your Social Security Number

Cristina — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 23:07:39 GMT

I live in Europe (but am currently studying in the US) and as far as I know there is no such thing as a SSN. In my country (Romania) you must supply your ID card number (similar to a driver's license, but since not everyone drives a national ID card is used) on official documents or application. Very few people own credit cards in Romania, so identity theft is, as of yet, unheard of.

re: Guarding Your Social Security Number

kcraigthermage — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 22:48:23 GMT

what is the safeiest way to check my credit rating/history with out giving my social securtiy #?

re: Guarding Your Social Security Number

OS — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 19:12:26 GMT

you find the person(s) who commited the crime, if you have the resources to do so, and you remove them from the face of the earth. Problem solved. This is of course is highly illegal, not to mention immoral. Sometimes drastic times call for drastic measures.

re: Guarding Your Social Security Number

LibertarianHippie — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 18:53:41 GMT

If you look at an I-9 form (Eligibility verification) for a new job, you will notice you can use several different forms of an ID over a social security card. yes, you will have to give your number but you may not have to show your card. In Fact, an unexpired or expired passport will work just as well and you won't have to show a SSC. Often times police will ask for your SSN and write it down for some reason. You and I should simply tell them you don't know it. There is no reason you need to give them that number for a ticket or a warning.

re: Guarding Your Social Security Number

Jean A._Birk234 — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 17:54:46 GMT

My husband and I have successfully refused to give out our SSN many times. If given a difficult time, we give them this source:

(Source on the internet: http://uscode.house.gov)

******************************************

From Title 42 US Code, Section 408(a)(8)

Sec. 408. Penalties

(a) In general

Whoever -

(8) discloses, uses, or compels the disclosure of the social security number

of any person in violation of the laws of the United States; shall be guilty

of a felony and upon conviction thereof shall be fined under title 18 or

imprisoned for not more than five years, or both.

******************************************

re: Guarding Your Social Security Number

simanookjuno — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 17:41:30 GMT

Hello

Plug into your search engine THE PRIVACY ACT and see the law we have on our side, I am working on it now as I refused my SS number on our driver License, just need a good Lawyer that will work with me on this and write up a law suite using Article 7 of the Bill of Rights.

Thanks for your time

Happy New Year Robert

re: Guarding Your Social Security Number

grouaaso — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 16:43:06 GMT

I have gone into a doctors office and told by the doctor himself that they need my ss # or else they will not treat me. I have talked to a few other people about this and some of them had this happen to them too. Also, if your utility company down right refuses to give you service without a ss#, is there anything you can do about it? Can you get in trouble for giving them a fake ss#? Is that considered fraud?

re: Guarding Your Social Security Number

Jeanne_Locante — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 14:12:14 GMT

I work in a dental office and we do take every necessary precaution to protect ALL of our patient's personal information, including SSN's. Personally, we don't need the SSN, but if you have insurance, YOUR dental insurance will mostly like insist on the SSN being on the claim form. Most insurance companies will do everything possible to delay paying claims or not pay them at all; including not having the SSN on the claim form.

re: Guarding Your Social Security Number

kschoeve — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 06:32:26 GMT

You also do not need to give out your child's SSN when applying to Public School. They will assign you a number, much like the do to a foreign student. Trust me, all companies and schools can work without this information. They just try to bully you into giving it to them. Just stand your ground. I've even seen legislation that said it was a Federal offense for people to "ask" for your number. I'd have to find it, but I read it a while back.