Social Security numbers have been initially issued by the US federal authorities as a option to administer retirement and incapacity advantages. Since then issues have modified dramatically, and Social Security numbers at the moment are used as common identifiers inside the United States for residents, worldwide college students and people who find themselves cleared to work inside the nation.
Today, should you’re getting a bank card, shopping for a house and even receiving a paycheck, you will want to supply your Social Security quantity. It’s in all probability probably the most necessary piece of identification you’ve, although Social Security Numbers have been more and more uncovered in information breaches. Most not too long ago, hackers infiltrated background verify firm National Public Data, stealing the personal data of two.9 billion folks, which can embody the Social Security numbers of each particular person within the US, based on the Los Angeles Times.
Because almost each US citizen and everlasting resident has a Social Security quantity, the numbers at the moment are the go-to authentication methodology for cell service operators, utility firms and even retail firms. That makes them a first-rate goal for id theft. Now that it is tax season, the IRS is telling taxpayers to decide on their tax preparers fastidiously to guard their delicate data.
How have you learnt when you must — and should not — share your Social Security quantity? We consulted the consultants.
For extra, here is the way to order a brand new Social Security card and do not miss our 2025 tax cheat sheet.
When is it OK to share my Social Security quantity?
Though it is necessary to guard your Social Security quantity, there are reputable causes for sharing these 9 digits.
“Any firm that you just’re making use of to for a mortgage or line of credit score wants your quantity,” Paige Hanson, cyber security training chief at NortonLifeLock, mentioned in an interview.
That consists of banks and credit score reporting companies, Hanson mentioned, but it surely might additionally imply a cell service supplier, since a cellphone contract is sort of a line of credit score.
Your Social Security quantity can also be going to be necessary for something that triggers tax reporting, together with your employer reporting your wages to the IRS, mentioned Alan Butler, govt director of the Electronic Privacy Information Center, a nonprofit targeted on defending privateness and id rights.
You’ll must share it when you have an funding adviser or are partaking in a money transaction of $10,000 or extra — like shopping for a automotive or home.
Government companies that present advantages also can request your quantity, together with the US Department of Labor and state companies that administer Medicaid. Those requests ought to include a disclosure type that explains whether or not the quantity is required or elective, confirms the company’s authority to ask for it and explains what it’s going to be used for.
When ought to I not share my Social Security quantity?
There are many extra situations while you should not supply up your Social Security quantity. With the proliferation of phishing schemes, by no means give out your data in an electronic mail or over the cellphone.
“If you are not initiating the decision, you must by no means share your private data,” NortonLifeLock’s Hanson mentioned. “Even if it appears to be like prefer it’s coming from a legit firm you do enterprise with.”
Confirming the final 4 digits of your Social is decrease threat, Hanson mentioned, because it’s information an organization already has.
Not everybody asking to your quantity has unhealthy intentions: “Some companies simply need your code simply because it is a sooner option to search for your account,” Hanson added.
But that is not a ok purpose for them to have it.
Others might want it in the event that they’re having you signal a contract, like a health club membership. “It’s a neater option to go to a collections company in the event that they must,” Hanson mentioned. “But there are different methods.”
While employers can ask to your Social, “it completely can’t be required to get a job,” Hanson mentioned. So it should not be on any job software.
If they will not budge and you are not snug giving them your private data, then do not. “Every time one other entity shops your Social, it is another likelihood for id theft,” mentioned Butler.
How can I defend my Social Security quantity?
If an organization asks to your Social Security quantity, discover out if there’s an alternate type of identification you need to use.
By the time you are an grownup, your Social Security quantity has been entered into so many databases it is unimaginable to maintain it 100% safe. But there are steps customers can take to higher defend their account numbers.
Don’t carry your Social Security card in your pockets or purse. Keep it in a secure place at dwelling. And shred any paperwork or items of mail that embody your quantity, slightly than simply throwing them out. Also, If you are requested to your SSN, discover out why.
“You ought to really feel empowered to ask, ‘Why do you want this? Where are you storing this?'” Hanson mentioned. “‘Is there one other piece of knowledge I can use as a substitute?'”
Hanson not too long ago took her daughter for a physician’s go to, and the shape on the counter requested each of their SSNs.
“There was actually no want for them,” Hanson mentioned. “So I left it clean on the shape and so they did not say something.”
Another option to defend your Social Security quantity is by “freezing” your credit score stories with Transunion, Equifax and Experian.
If somebody tries to make use of your quantity to open a bank card or get a mortgage, the request to your credit score report will likely be declined. You can freeze your report indefinitely or set a selected “thaw” date.
You also needs to frequently verify your stories for any unusual exercise — a free copy of all three is on the market yearly from AnnualCreditReport.com — and create an account on the Social Security web site to see if anybody is accessing advantages utilizing your quantity.
What if my Social Security quantity has been compromised?
If you suppose you have been the sufferer of id theft utilizing your Social Security quantity, report the incident to the Federal Trade Commission, your native police division and any companies which will have been given your quantity fraudulently.
If you suppose your quantity has been used illicitly to get a job or entry your tax return, it’s also possible to contact the Social Security Administration at 800-772-1213 or go to the IRS’ id theft web site.
Though it is attainable to get a brand new Social Security quantity, it probably will not resolve all of your issues, based on the FTC.
“Sometimes getting a brand new quantity can depart you worse off,” Steve Toporoff with the FTC’s Division of Privacy and Identity Protection mentioned in a press release, “as a result of you’ll want to contact all the federal government companies, monetary establishments, credit score bureaus, well being insurers and different locations the place the previous Social Security quantity may be used.”
