Your Social Security number (SSN) is a popular number. At doctors鈥 offices, credit card issuers, banks, utility companies and many other merchants you do business with, it鈥檚 the go-to identification method.
Unfortunately, it鈥檚 also prized personal information that unscrupulous individuals can use to commit听identity theft and robbery.
Identity thieves can use your birth date and SSN to:
The more frequently your听Social Security number听is shared, the more likely it is to be exposed to identity theft, disgruntled employees, computer hackers and others who seek to misuse and profit from it. This can have severe consequences on your credit, reputation and personal finances, and it can be costly and time-consuming to correct.
Prevention, in other words, is the best medicine. Read on for what you need to know.
Must you hand over your SSN every time someone asks for it? The answer is a resounding no.
Social Security numbers were created in 1936 to听track worker earnings听补苍诲听determine Social Security benefits. Since then, they have become a convenient way to confirm a person鈥檚 identity. While many entities have begun to recognize the pervasiveness of identity theft听(federal agencies like the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Veterans Affairs and the Department of Defense stopped using SSNs on ID cards in recent years), many healthcare service providers as well as other sectors still rely upon SSNs. The form, for example, still requires it.
Some organizations now ask for 鈥渙nly鈥 the听last four digits听of your听SSN, but you should be just as cautious supplying that as you are with the full, nine-digit number. That鈥檚 because the rest of the number can be easily figured out using public information.
For听SSNs issued before 2011, the first five digits indicate where and when the card was issued, so if someone knows where and when you were born, it鈥檚 easy to figure out your complete SSN from the last four digits.
There are relatively few entities that legally have a right to your听Social Security number. These include:
First, never share your SSN or other personal information with听someone or some business unfamiliar to you. This includes during an unsolicited phone call or an unsolicited email.
If you didn鈥檛 initiate contact, make sure to听verify the organization鈥檚 or person鈥檚 identity听and the validity of the request before you disclose your SSN.
Second, you aren鈥檛 legally required to provide your听Social Security number听to any business. Keep in mind that those businesses may choose not to work with you if you refuse to share your personal information. Of course, you can take your business elsewhere as well.
Here are some other entities that may request (but don鈥檛 have a right to) your SSN:
In most of these cases, providing your听Social Security number听helps to confirm your identity, and then the organization stores it on a server. But the more your personal information circulates, the more likely it is to be misused. And whether or not those servers听meet data security standards听to prevent unauthorized access or disclosure is anyone鈥檚 guess.
罢丑颈谤诲,听pharmacies, hospitals and doctors鈥 offices听routinely request your SSN on intake forms, but the main reason for doing this is to facilitate debt collection should you fail to pay your bill.听
Medical records, which often contain Social Security numbers, are attractive targets of data breaches, , as identity thieves may use such personal data to try to obtain fraudulent medical treatment and prescriptions. Also, medical staff might also share patient data inadvertently. In fact, this type of breach accounts for over one-third of all healthcare-related data breaches,听according to Allstate.
If you don鈥檛 have to provide your SSN, keep it to yourself. Instead, leave the space blank or provide some form of photo identification, like a passport or a military, student or employee ID card.
Don鈥檛, however, supply your driver鈥檚 license. This is another form of ID that thieves can do a lot of damage with.
If a merchant persists, try asking:
Don鈥檛 be afraid to share your concerns about identity theft. Pushing back and heightening awareness among staff may be necessary. Other times, you may find that an office or organization doesn鈥檛 actually require your听SSN听but has yet to update their forms.
Ultimately, your SSN is a commodity with a听great deal of value. Some states, including California, already prohibit using听Social Security numbers as patient identifiers. 罢丑别听 such use as well. Until that stance becomes the norm, however, the choice to share it, or not, is yours.
Whether you want to learn more about budgeting and balancing your personal accounts, are interested in a career in finance, or simply want to batten down the hatches of your personal information, there鈥檚 one path to empowerment: education.
Explore these different offerings from SM调教所 for a variety of goals:
Dawn Handschuh has been putting pen to paper for more than 30 years, writing widely on topics related to student lending, personal finances, everyday money management and retirement planning. She makes her home in Connecticut with her husband and two energetic German shepherds.
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