Home : Blogs : Michael Merino-Orland Park Ill Home Inspector : Merino's Home Inspection & Education Inc.

Social Security and Identity theft

I was reading Richard Ives blog http://activerain.com/blogsview/724604/Home-Mortgages. He has listed what is needed for obtaining a mortgage. Social Security number is listed. This got me thinking, and I know that thinking can be dangerous, but I do it anyway. Is it necessary to have your SS#?

I recently went to a seminar about protecting your identity. One way of protecting yourself is to not give out your SS#. They said that you are not required to give your SS# to anyone but the government. How can that be done? Everyone asks for SS# from hospitals to mortgage companies to utilities. If you refuse to give the SS#, can they refuse service for utilities, for example? Can you refuse to give SS# for a mortgage?

Recently the news had a story about some hospital employees that used patients SS# to get credit cards, some of you may have seen that story.

Is there an alternative? I may be wrong, but isn't the SS# used to verify your identity? Or is it used for something else?

I would love to hear from everyone about what you know.

Posted by Michael Merino-Orland Park Ill Home Inspector on 10/05/2008 07:32 PM

Comments (6)

Identity Theft in the ActiveRain Channel

social security, mortgage, identity theft

This post has been included in Illinois Information
Post is included in group: ABR/REBAC
Post is included in group: At Home with Cultural Diversity (AHWD)
Post is included in group: Chicagoland and Northern Illinois Real Estate
Post is included in group: Home Inspectors across the country
Post is included in group: Illinois

6 Comments on Social Security and Identity theft

OCT

2008

That is definitely a number I would not let just anyone have. I would encourage anyone to confirm who gets that number. Thanks for the reminder about just how tentative our safety on line is.

Michael- No one needs your SS#, they just want it mostly for credit purposes since it is the only thing really you have that supposedly cannot be changed (license #s can change here in MI atleast w/ a name change but SS# remains the same to my knowledge). But for a mortgage there has to be a way around it because I have heard of illegal immigrants esp. in AZ,CA, and TX buying homes. Also I know a guy who has done mortgages for some of the Detroit Red Wings players, and FBI members here in MI and they don't even use their real names when buying homes for privacy/ saftey reasons.

When the social security number was first instituted, there was much outcry from the populace. The government promised that it would NEVER be allowed to be used by ANYONE other than the Social Security Administration, even any other governmental agency. (So why does the IRS get to require it?) These days, we have to give it here in Texas in order to get a driver's license - they got a special dispensation so that they could require it to use it to track down deadbeat parents. To my mind, important as that goal is, it's not important enough for the government to break a promise, even if it was made decades ago, and to risk the security of the finances of everyone in the country. Yet every time you turn around you're asked to provide your social security number and if you don't provide it, those people who, by law, aren't allowed to require it can decline to do business with you. Seems like there ought to be a law against THAT.

I wish we could all be safer, but it is not always possible. We got our daughters card in the mail. It could have been stolen. there is more privacy surrounding certain magazine subscriptions than there is SS#'s-Dinah

This is interesting. I didn't know that when SS#s were instituted, that it was ONLY for the SSA. Funny how things never end up as promised, huh? It's no surprise there is so much identity theft, with everyone who 'requires' your number. It's floating around EVERYWHERE!

Debi

OCT

2008

This is becoming more of a big deal. Social Security identity theft happens everyday. The reality is that there are acutally 5 forms of identity theft. Criminal/Character id theft, Drivers License id theft, Financial id theft and Medical id theft. The best thing to do is have your id monitored in all these 5 categories. BTW, your credit card company or your insurance id theft plan doesn't do this.

Leave a response…

Name:

Email:
(optional)

Comment:

What does the graphic say?