The Social Security Number, commonly known as SSN, is a unique 9-digit number that is assigned to every citizen of the United States. The major purpose of this number is to track your identity, your income details, and your work experience.
How to Get Your SSN?
Getting your SSN i now so simple. You can either visit the official website portal or seek the help of an agency to get your Social Security Number. Seeking government filing assistance helps you get your SSN card easily.
Whenever you start your career, or you want to take advantage government benefits, you must submit your Social Security Number. This is used to verify your identity and check your eligibility details and also to record your income details.
How SSN Theft Takes Place?
It is important that you safeguard your SSN as it is linked with all your government records. Stealing your SSC number, one can easily track all your personal information including your income details.
Your SSN card can be stolen in several ways. This can happen either by breaching the data, sifting through your draw or your personal documents or by using any other approach.
The following are the 5 major ways a thief can use your SSN card:
1. Government Identity Theft – The thief or the fraudster could track your personal information and use that information against you.
One of the best examples of this kind of theft is Stolen Identity Refund Fraud or SIRF. This is a tax-related theft where the thief files the income tax return using your name and SSC number.
It is a common problem and is now drastically increasing in the United States.
2. Financial Identity Theft – Here the thief uses your personal information for claiming financial loans or any other purposes.
The thief may use your SSC to get a loan or use your credit card or avail any other banking facilities in your name.
3. Medical Identity Theft – In this kind of theft, the thief or the fraudster may track your personal information and use it in case of medical emergency. This might affect your medicare facilities or insurance policies that are present in your name.
4. Criminal Identity Theft – If the thief has your Social Security Number, and if he/she has some criminal record, they can use your SSC as their own and could easily get out of jail.
Here your personal information is used as a key for a speeding ticket and chances are there for problems to occur in the future.
Problems such as the issuance of an arrest warrant in your name are possible to occur when a background check is made.
Utility Fraud – This kind of fraud occurs in case of utilities such as gas, water, phone, cable connection, or any other utility service.
Criminals or fraudsters might use your SSC number to take advantage of utility services or upgrade existing services.
If your SSC number is stolen, the person can easily become you and enjoy all the benefits that are supposed to be used by you.
If your SSN card is already lost or stolen, immediately inform the Social Security Administration office immediately. This might reduce the seriousness of the problems.
