Top ways to safeguard against Social Security Number fraud

Let's look it, location are nary 9 numbers much important than your social information number.  It whitethorn look for illustration an exaggeration. 

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You should cognize that each facet of your life is tied to your societal information number: loans, assemblage admissions, wellness insurance, societal information benefits, taxes, and slope accounts, to sanction a few.  If your societal information number gets into nan incorrect hands, it tin wreak havoc connected your life. 

According to nan Federal Trade Commission (FTC), location person been 95,901 full reports of authorities imposter scams backmost successful 2022 alone. The number 1 governmental agency impersonated? That’s right: The Social Security Administration. In 2022 alone, imposters claiming to beryllium moving for nan Social Security Administration amounted to $46.37 cardinal successful full losses. 

A Social Security paper is displayed successful Tigard, Ore., Oct. 12, 2021. Individuals will beryllium allowed to make judge their records pinch nan Social Security Administration align pinch their gender personality nether a scheme announced Wednesday, Oct. 19, 2022.  (AP Photo/Jenny Kane, File)

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5 types of societal information number fraud 

In almost each type of personality theft, your societal information number is usually a important portion of accusation basal to hijack your identity. 

Below are nan apical 5 ways fraudsters and criminals usage your societal information number successful nan different personality theft scams: 

1. Criminal personality theft: 

Criminals return your societal information number arsenic nan cornerstone to found your identity, arsenic it is required to use for a driver’s license, ID card, aliases passport. When crimes are committed pinch nan personality tied to your societal information number, authorities tin extremity up connected your doorstep pinch a warrant for your apprehension for crimes you didn’t moreover commit! 

2. Business impersonation: 

The apical pieces of individual accusation criminals effort to compression retired of you erstwhile impersonating businesses is your societal information information. Oftentimes, criminals impersonate charismatic authorities agencies specified arsenic nan IRS aliases Social Security Administration agency to instrumentality aliases scare you into disclosing your societal information number aliases portion pinch your hard-earned money. They tin past frighten you for much money aliases waste your accusation online. 

3. Medical personality theft: 

You request your societal information number to get wellness insurance, and if you make usage of Medi-Cal, Medicare, aliases Medicaid, you will beryllium required to stock it to person sum aliases services. The consequences don’t moreover impact conscionable losing sum aliases being incapable to person services. With your societal information number being utilized successful aesculapian personality theft, a wholly different personification tin beryllium impacting your aesculapian records pinch services rendered and prescriptions filled. 

Following an executive bid from Democratic Gov. Jay Inslee, nan state’s Department of Licensing nary longer quickly confirms personality done Social Security numbers. (AP)

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4. Synthetic personality theft: 

With arsenic small accusation arsenic your societal information number, criminals tin usage it successful operation pinch theirs to create a hybrid personality to unfastened accounts, return retired loans, and do immoderate they please pinch this ‘new’ personality while ruining yours. 

5. Child personality fraud: 

There’s thing particularly troubling astir nan latest inclination to steal nan societal information number of children. However, owed to nan truth that societal information numbers seldom go an progressive portion of astir people’s lives until they commencement applying for colleges aliases financial loans, this type of personality theft usually goes unnoticed for years, which intends much harm to undo. 

Top ways to support your societal information number safe? 

Now that you cognize really personification tin return your societal information number and usage it to perpetrate personality theft, beneath are cardinal ways to support it safe! 

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1. Hide/safe support your societal information number card: 

Put your societal information number paper successful a secure place, specified arsenic a safe, slope safe, aliases filing furniture that tin beryllium locked. Because it is utilized truthful frequently, those 9 digits are worthy memorizing. If your wallet is mislaid aliases stolen and you support your SSN paper successful there, it will beryllium messier than losing conscionable money aliases your ID. Don’t transportation your societal information paper successful your wallet aliases purse! 

2. Use an personality theft aliases fraud protection service 

Companies specified arsenic Identity Guard tin show your SSN and alert you if it is sold connected nan acheronian web aliases being utilized to unfastened an account. The faster you know, nan quicker you tin unopen down nan damage. In fact, immoderate companies will thief you frost your slope and in installments paper accounts to forestall further usage by criminals. Fortunately, taking advantage of stellar fraud protection from our apical pick, Identity Guard is moreover much affordable pinch an exclusive CyberGuy savings (up to 51% off). 

See my tips and champion picks connected really to protect yourself from personality theft by searching ‘identity theft' astatine CyberGuy.com by clicking nan magnifying solid icon astatine nan apical of my website.

3. Go online: 

Skip jotting down your societal information number connected in-person forms. When your societal information number is jotted down connected paper, it is difficult to power really nan accusation gets utilized aliases disposed of. If you tin taxable forms online, you tin skip nan consequence of having your SSN from getting into nan incorrect hands. If you message successful forms that denote your SSN, you consequence having that portion of message stolen aliases lost. 

FILE: The IRS mistakenly posted nan Social Security numbers of tens of thousands of Americans connected a authorities website. (AP)

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4. Opt retired of inputting SSN: 

Even though your SSN is requested connected immoderate forms, it is not ever necessary. If a early employer is requesting your SSN, double-check why they request it. They would astir apt request it to tally a inheritance check, which you should cognize astir anyway. Additionally, immoderate establishments let you to supply nan past 4-digits of your SSN until you are finalizing a screening process, etc. 

5. Sign up for a social information account: 

Go to nan charismatic Social Security Administration website to create an account. Because only 1 relationship tin beryllium created per societal information number, it is safer if you declare it truthful nary 1 other tin by piecing together your individual accusation (along pinch your SSN) to declare it fraudulently. Make judge it is connected to a unafraid email relationship that you cheque frequently. This relationship besides provides up-to-date information connected net and use distributions truthful you tin spot if thing is ‘off’. 

6. Combat kid personality theft: 

Open accounts for your children's SSNs because you want to declare them for them early and beryllium capable to show immoderate activity related to their societal information number. 

7. Secure documents: 

Some records that incorporate your societal information number are important to support connected hand, specified arsenic income taxation filings. If they are kept digitally, encrypt and aliases password-protect nan archive aliases folder, particularly if it is uploaded to nan cloud. Keep offline documents pinch SSNs successful a safe aliases shred alternatively of throwing them away. 

Remember you (usually) only get 1 societal information number successful a lifetime, it is important to safeguard that information pinch your ‘life’! Tell us: How person you kept your societal information number safe? 

Check retired nan champion ways to protect yourself from personality theft by heading complete to CyberGuy.com and searching "How to protect yourself from personality theft" by clicking nan magnifying solid astatine nan apical of my website. 

How to protect yourself from personality theft  (Cyberguy.com)

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In what ways will you protect your societal information number moving forward? Let america know. 

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