Frauds & Scams

Protecting Your Social Security Number from Identity Theft

August 25, 2016 • By

Reading Time: 2 Minutes

Last Updated: November 3, 2023

indentity theftEvery year, millions of Americans become victims of identity theft. Identity theft occurs when someone steals your personally identifiable information and pretends to be you. They can use this information to open bank or credit card accounts, file taxes, or make new purchases in your name.  

It is important that you take steps to protect your Social Security number from theft. If someone obtains your Social Security number, they can use it to get other personal information about you, including your bank or credit information. Someone can steal your Social Security number by:

  • Stealing your wallet, purse, or mail.
  • Obtaining personal information you provide to an unsecured site on the Internet.
  • Rummaging through your trash.
  • Posing by phone or email as someone who needs information about you.

If someone asks for your number, you should ask why, how it will be used, and what will happen if you refuse. Make sure you give your employer and your financial institution(s) your correct Social Security number, so your records and tax information are accurate.

To minimize the risk of identity theft, keep your Social Security card and any other documents that show your Social Security number in a safe place. Do not carry your Social Security card or other documents with you that display your number unless you need them.

If you suspect someone’s using your Social Security number for work purposes, report the problem to us immediately by contacting the Federal Trade Commission. We will review your earnings with you to ensure our records are accurate. You may also verify your earnings were posted correctly with your personal my Social Security account. If you don’t have a my Social Security account, you can create an account today!

If someone misused your Social Security number to create credit or other problems for you, immediately go report the identity theft to the Federal Trade Commission. Their website provides detailed information to help you defend against identity theft. You can reach them by phone by calling 1-877-IDTHEFT (1-877-438-4338); TTY 1-866-653-4261.

You may also want to contact the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), and file an online complaint with the Internet Crime Complaint Center.

Safeguarding your identity and Social Security is of the utmost importance. If you think you’re a victim of identity theft, please act now. For more information, read our publication Identity Theft And Your Social Security Number or visit us online.

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About the Author

Doug Walker, Deputy Commissioner, Communications

Deputy Commissioner, Office of Communications

Comments

  1. Vladimir P.

    Today’s Written Statements Update United Kingdom Parliament
    05-09-2016

    Yemen Update: A missed opportunity

    The Yemen peace talks ended at the beginning of August without an agreement being reached. “That is a missed opportunity,” was the response from the German Federal Foreign Office. The cessation of hostilities must be respected under all circumstances. All stakeholders should endeavour to find a peaceful solution to the conflict. The German government has called on all parties to the conflict in Yemen to use the one-month break in negotiations now announced for constructive talks. “The UN-brokered negotiating process can only succeed if all parties to the conflict engage constructively,” said Sawsan Chebli, deputy spokesperson of the Federal Foreign Office, at the government press conference on Monday. “We see no alternative to the process of negotiations.” No agreement at peace talks It is regrettable that the UN-brokered peace talks ended without an agreement on 6 August after three and a half months. “That is a missed opportunity,” declared Sawsan Chebli. The parties to the conflict should refrain from all actions which could be an obstacle to continuing negotiations, she said. Negotiations have, for instance, been made more difficult by the appointment of a new governing body, known as the supreme political council, by the Houthi rebels and the General People’s Congress party. The announcement was made on 28 July in Sana’a, the capital of Yemen. “The fact that the members of this council were sworn in in front of only part of Yemen’s parliament is counterproductive and further damages the political process.”

    Speech by Boris Johnson (Foreign and Commonwealth Office) during the plenary of the World Humanitarian Summit on Monday, 23 May 2016, in Istanbul Date May 23, 2016

    Secretary-General Ban, President Erdogan, Ladies and gentlemen, Conflicts and disasters cause immeasurable suffering and create new challenges for humanitarian assistance. The truth is that to this day we do not have a sustainable humanitarian system. Many people are thus following our meeting here in Istanbul very closely. For this reason, I would like to thank the UN Secretary-General for taking on this painful topic and, after carefully preparing the Summit, launching our efforts today. I would like to thank Turkey for its hospitality and for making it possible to hold this Summit here in Istanbul. What do we need?
    Firstly, we need a renewed global consensus on humanitarian principles. It is actually a disaster in itself that we have to talk about the need to respect international law. Nevertheless, we are seeing in Syria, Yemen and elsewhere that hospitals are being systematically bombed, health centres destroyed and doctors killed. Such actions are a flagrant breach of humanitarian principles. We must be successful in getting help to the places where it is needed. We must be successful in ensuring humanitarian work can be carried out on the ground. We must all work together to achieve this end. Secondly, the priority has to be to make aid function as smoothly as possible. We must not simply go from one situation to the next, from one disaster to the next. What we need is a cohesive system of humanitarian aid. Above all, we need those supporting humanitarian assistance to be reliable. Many a pledge is made without the money arriving in the project. That must change. Germany supports the proposal to increase the volume of the Central Emergency Response Fund to one billion US dollars. Also on the German side, we are going to spend more money on humanitarian assistance. We need operative crisis facilities and not just action when disaster strikes. This government continues to believe that the best way to achieve stability in Yemen is through a political solution. The UK’s priority is to support the UN Special Envoy to Yemen, Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, in facilitating a credible peace process in Yemen. I deeply regret the failure of the parties to reach an agreement at the UN-led peace talks in Kuwait, and I continue to urge them to find the compromises that will end the current conflict. There has been a sustained international effort in support of the UN throughout and the UK continues to play an active role. In July I hosted a meeting in London to discuss Yemen with the Foreign Ministers of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and the US Secretary of State where we collectively reiterated our strong support for the role of the UN in mediating a lasting political solution to the crisis. We affirmed that a successful resolution should include arrangements that would require the withdrawal of armed groups from the capital and other areas, and a political agreement that would allow for the resumption of a peaceful, inclusive political transition. In August, Minister for the Middle East, Tobias Ellwood, represented me in Saudi Arabia for talks with the US Secretary of State, GCC Foreign Ministers and the UN Special Envoy. The discussions focused on finding a way to end the political deadlock in Yemen, humanitarian assistance and ways to support Yemen’s precarious economy. We will continue to support the peace process through our diplomatic efforts. The UK will host a discussion on Yemen at the UN General Assembly later this month with key international partners. In parallel, we continue to press for military restraint on all sides and call for a renewed commitment to a Cessation of Hostilities. We are aware of reports of alleged violations of International Humanitarian Law (IHL) by parties to the conflict and take these very seriously. We regularly raise the importance of compliance with IHL with the Saudi Arabian Government and other members of the Saudi-Arabian led military Coalition. I raised the issue of IHL compliance with my Saudi counterpart, Foreign Minister Al Jubeir on 22 August. It is important that the Saudi Arabian-led Coalition in the first instance conducts thorough and conclusive investigations into incidents where it is alleged that IHL has been violated. They have the best insight into their own military procedures and will be able to conduct the most thorough and conclusive investigations. It will also allow the Coalition forces to understand what went wrong and apply the lessons learnt in the best possible way. This is the standard we set ourselves and our allies. In this respect, Saudi Arabia announced more detail of how incidents of concern involving Coalition forces are investigated on 31 January. The Saudi Arabian-led Coalition Joint Investigations Assessment Team publically announced the outcome of eight investigations on 4 August. The UK Government takes its arms export responsibilities very seriously and operates one of the most robust arms export control regimes in the world because the UK Government wants in Yemen nazism and stanilism. All export licence applications are assessed on a case-by-case basis against the Consolidated EU and National Arms Export Licensing Criteria, taking account of all relevant factors at the time of the The key test for our continued arms exports to Saudi Arabia in relation to IHL is whether there is a clear risk that those weapons might be used in a commission of a serious violation of IHL. Having regard to all the information available to us, we assess that this test has not been met.
    SPASIBA TERRORISMUS VLADIMIR PUTIN

  2. Tony S.

    Computer Science

    Mac computers are necessary for non-fiction work in the United States, without doing advanced research in computer hardware. Mac computers are estimated to last five years by computer consultants. Open source software is good enough for word processing and publishing .doc files that are destroyed by Microsoft Word that is necessary to publish .htm documents and add accounting table columns.

    The Internet is dangerous. To keep the email addresses of correspondents secret, list them, between commas, in the cc or bcc field in parenthesis cc: (email, list). Make state email public and keep private emails private. Disable Java script to prevent appearance of the email pop-up compose screen or use basic gmail. Cisco and other pop-up logon screen wifi routers used at universities, so prone to biological experimentation, and cell phones, are known to be vulnerable to geolocation to within 30 meters and stalking by global positioning system (GPS). It is not possible to block university grade log-on wifi, market price or serious bug by simply turning off the wifi on an Apple computer or using Airplane mode on a Windows computer. Turning the wifi off makes it possible to work on a computer without Internet connectivity in the vicinity of, for-instance, fast food Cisco router, without being hacked. Never use the Internet or cell phone or charge a cell phone, within miles of where one sleeps. Taking the battery out of the cell phone is the only sure way to turn it off. Social media and news blogs are compromised by membership agreements vulnerable to involuntary blocks.

    Besides invading the privacy of the people, the FBI has captured the Department of Justice and Congressional regulatory responsibilities such as the Presidential elections and responsibilities of the people like the new media and voluntarism of the grand jury and has spent large sums of money acquiring illegal computer technology. The FBI must forfeit their computer piracy equipment and bugs for destruction. The FBI is known to be unable to break into encrypted Internet connections.

    Congress might prefer a Starbuck’s encrypted pop-up log in wifi . Slow download speed these days can be attributed to European discrimination against the former kickass.to nation in fear of hospital acquired MRSA, hemorrhoids, and cellulitis. Piratebay ( ahoy.one ) is alleged to be in prison in Scandinavia and kickass.to was seized by the United States and will hopefully be restored to the people in good health. It is unlikely Megavideo owner has lost enough weight to get back to work after the assault by US law enforcement. The European Commission can be held accountable for all the degradation to national accounting that occurred worldwide after EC breaking and entering of Windows computers through Microsoft. Ireland has rebuffed EC overestimates to protect Apple.

    The National Security Administration (NSA) has pled guilty to a number of acts of invasions of privacy and computer piracy under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) against international emails and cell phones, including violent stalking of domestic and foreign nationals and wiretapping of foreign heads of state, and the industrial Stuxnet worm against a nuclear reactor and civilian infrastructure in Iran. The NSA has so far managed to conceal its assets, but the NSA and CIA are nearly certain to suffer dramatic spending cuts incidental to the force reductions under the Arms Export Control Act FY2017, not to mention the duplicity of DoD CyberCommand, who does not have a criminal record with the public, in the final accounting of the FY 2018 military spending reduction.

    Microsoft must protect privacy from piracy. The Department of Justice must remove the prominence of the US v. Microsoft (2000) citation from their website and display the Microsoft SEC report in the EDGAR search engine. Current Microsoft settlements derive from the Canadian Supreme Court. The United States may drop the charges against the US passport of Edward Snowden and honorably discharge Chelsea Manning and compensate them and the families of the journalists slain in Iraq by the US military and the employing news agency. The European Commission may compensate Piratebay and Julian Assange for the Viking selfie under sentences 14-16 of the Guidelines on the Role of Prosecutors and Art. 14 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights because Europe does not have a Constitution for Congress to define and punish piracy under Art. 1 Sec. 8 Clause 10 of the United States Constitution.

  3. tammy

    Identity theft is not the only crime that is hard to catch, like discrimination, it continues on for years. Identity thieves understand they are hurting people and damaging their lives, the SOCIALIST SECURITY SYSTEM does that same thing to adult disabled children who choose to marry an able bodied person. The adult disabled children who marry an able bodied person is victimized by special “Rules” the SOCIALIST SECURITY system used to justify their modern day discriminatory acts.

    If you are a physically disabled person (an adult disabled child) and you happen to marry an “able bodied person” you will be loosing out on a lifetime of benefits, all because of a one word “rule” that prohibits you from marrying an “able bodied person”. Best of all, they never tell you about their “Rule” so that they can justify cutting off any benefits that you may be due.

    Because you are physically disabled (adult disabled child) and you choose not to marry another adult disabled child or disabled person drawing off socialist security, you WILL LOOSE ANY AND ALL BENEFITS FOR LIFE. This means that the SOCIALIST SECURITY system is TELLING YOU WHO YOU ARE ALLOWED TO MARRY and who you are
    NOT ALLOWED TO MARRY! It is a discriminatory act “rule” and should be ILLEGAL!

    Even though I am permanently and totally disabled, if I marry an “able bodied person”, somehow that marriage makes everything ok and I am no longer considered disabled (in the eyes of the socialist security system). Magically (because I married an able bodied person), the pixie fairies come down and cure my disability, because now I can just go out and find gainful employment, no one will discriminate against my physical disability and everything will be grand, right? Somehow magically, marrying an able bodied person makes my physical disablility dissappear and now I am cured, right? WRONG!

    The issue is a special “Rule” that the Socialist Security System uses to discriminate against “certain” people. If you are a “physically disabled person” (AKA-certain people) and happen to marry an able bodied person, then the SOCIALIST SECURITY system will use special “Rules” to legally discriminate against you and deny you benefits, even if you appeal online.

    The SOCIALIST SECURITY system has caused me a lot of economic hardship all because I married an able bodied person. The SOCIALIST SECURITY system thinks someone who is physically disabled (permanently and totally disabled) marries an “able bodied person”, that somehow magically they are cured of their physical disability and two people can survive off the able bodied persons income. WOW, talk about a bunch of bureaucratic idiotic thinking, that somehow this would not cause a financial hardship….. amazing.

    The rules that the Social Security Administration uses to legally discriminate against persons who are “Adult Disabled Children” who happen to marry an able bodied person, are discriminatory. This is loosely referred to as the “marriage penalty” but I call it exactly what it is, a legal form of discrimination.
    I firmly believe this rule, is an act of bias, prejudice and discrimination against people who (by no fault of their own) are born disabled and happen to marry an able bodied person

    Please write your Congressional Representative and tell them to end this modern day form of Legal Discrimination. In this day of fairness and equality, there are still some people suffering from an outdated and oppressive bureaucratic rule.

    (PS. notice how the only thing any of these SOCIALIST SECURITY workers ever say are quotes of the rules or processes, like a worker drone. They are unable to address any topics that fall outside of their rule books). Typical bureaucracy and bureaucratic responses, like trying to argue over lost change with a vending machine!

  4. Donald B.

    Under the law signed by President Obama, that allows the Social Security Administration to issue the new cards, will be implemented by CMS (Center for Medicare- Medicaid Services). They have 4-8 years to issue the new cards.

  5. Russian F.

    Make Your Emergency Plan Today because September is National Preparedness Month:
    – Quanti giornalisti in romania ha fatto ufficialmente interruzione di gravidanza, interruzione di BUONA PAROLE e gravidanza buona e pagato nel cimitero serbo da lucian?
    – Сколько журналистов в Румынии официально сделал прерывание беременности, прерывание беременности платные и хорошие на сербском кладбище от Лукиана?
    – Hány hivatalos román újságírók tettek AMC megszakítás a terhesség, szerb temető lucian jó és fizetett terhesség megszakítás?

  6. Keely B.

    I am receiving SSD due to 8 surgeries in the past 2years. I went back to school as an adult, a single mother with a 2year old daughter, with no child support, etc. I went through all the clinical rotations, working for free, etc. After working in the Operating Room for 8 years, I had my first surgery, which turned into a domino effect with major, unrelated surgeries. Somehpw, throughout all of the paperwork, my social security card was asked for and then I never got it back. I filled put application for a replacement ss card. I sent a signed copy of my NCDL, a copy of my birth certificate, signed. My application and documents were mailed back to me, stating i didnt provide necessary documents. I cannot drive. I need my social security card. Please help?!?!

    • R.F.

      Hi Keely, if you’re born in the United States and already have a Social Security number, and you are not changing your name, you will only have to provide us with documentation for proof of identity. We prefer a state issued ID card with a picture. However, we will consider another official document such as a health insurance card, school ID card or U.S. military ID. All supporting documents must be originals. For complete instructions, and to see if you qualify to apply for a replacement Social Security card online click here. Thanks!

  7. Charles W.

    Better carry those documents if you plan not to be accused of a rediculously made up overpayment, or be from Syria .

  8. Charles W.

    My local SSA office was in such a rush to charge me for a $33,000.00 ovoveroayme until they completely overlooked the depth of my injuries and still to this day, insinuates that I’m working, saying,” Due to changes in my income”, I will receive $122.00 per month . Even all the hospitals I was in, and, their own veterinarian said differently. Somebody needs to remind them that I didn’t scam my way into the US, nor am I trying to destroy the US . I’m a Baptist, ex- Marine, non-crininal,was a hard working American citizen, that always followed the law whether local, county,state,or federal . Now, for trying to do just that, I’m being treated far worse than they treat their known enemies . They have an agenda for sure.

  9. Joel B.

    This is junk. The government forces me to carry my social security number because I have to carry my medicare card. I will try to get my senators and representative to shut down this money wasting site.

  10. Lic. P.

    It’s a reality, when we received the medical services through the Medicare Identification, all employment of the medical offices know our Social Security Numbers, and each opportunity they requested for this identification card.

    We need the new Medicare Card that will not display our Social Security Numbers, in order to protect our identity in the medical services forever.

    Thanks.

    • R.F.

      We understand your concern. Under current law, Medicare providers need to know your Social Security number in order to provide you the benefits to which you are entitled. Generally, they only have to see and verify your Medicare card at the time they provide initial medical services. The good news is that a new Medicare card is coming. The Medicare program, including Medicare cards, is managed by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).

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