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Social Security
numbers often represent the entry point for rip-off artists and identity
thieves.
To an identity thief, your social security number is perhaps the most important piece of
information about you.
Your SSN is important because a credit
check is generally required to get new credit in your name. When a
financial institution or business runs a detailed credit check on you,
credit bureau policies commonly dictate that the inquiry cannot be made
without a social security number.
What Social Security Says
The Social Security Administration says
they will not
help you restore credit that has been damaged by an identity thief. They
recommend working with each credit bureau, creditor, employer and government agency
involved to remove inaccurate information from your records, and then to
watch for suspicious activity on an ongoing basis.
You should
continue checking your credit report annually for inaccuracies.
Says the SSA.
Keep
copies of your correspondence, records of your telephone calls and other
documents verifying your efforts to correct the problem.
Can You get a new SSN?
It is quite likely that a new social security number will not
resolve your problems related to identity theft. In
most cases, changing your SSN is not recommended. The SSA,
only in certain cases, will issue a new number. Their yardstick for making the decision
is...
...if,
after making all efforts to resolve the
problems caused by someone else’s misuse of your Social Security number,
you are still being disadvantaged by the misuse.
A new Social Security number will be issued
only if you can prove that someone else has stolen your number
and is using it illegally.
If your card has been lost or your number
has fallen into the wrong hands, that's generally not enough. You must
provide evidence that the number is actually being misused, and that the
misuse is causing you harm.
Of course, the Social Security
Administration will not give you a new SSN to aid in avoiding legal
responsibility, or in hiding bad credit or a criminal record.
How to get a new Social Security Number
To get a new SSN, you must visit your local Social Security
field office. There is no fee.
Warning: People or companies
offering to obtain a Social Security number for
a fee are usually scams. If they supply a fraudulent number, your use of
it could constitute a crime.
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Social Security Number and Identity Theft
