Help me save my Social Security number

Shinova · Post by **Shinova** » 2005-03-26 11:14pm

Sort of.

I kinda suspect someone might've gotten hold of my SSN. Suggestions on what I should do about this? (other than start freaking out, which I'll do soon, maybe)

Post by **Dalton** » 2005-03-26 11:18pm

OK, first thing is to calm down. Then check out this site, which deals with ID theft reports.

Wicked Pilot · Post by **Wicked Pilot** » 2005-03-26 11:20pm

If you feel you're at risk of some kind of identity theft then go here and follow the instructions.

Tinkerbell · Post by **Tinkerbell** » 2005-03-26 11:28pm

Just out of curiosity, why do you think that?

Other then that, click one of the links already posted (either one, they're both essentially the same

)

Wicked Pilot · Post by **Wicked Pilot** » 2005-03-26 11:34pm

xBlackFlash wrote:Other then that, click one of the links already posted (either one, they're both essentially the same )

Mine's better.

Shinova · Post by **Shinova** » 2005-03-26 11:36pm

xBlackFlash wrote:Just out of curiosity, why do you think that?

If I told you all, everyone would be calling me by my title for years to come.

Post by **Zaia** » 2005-03-26 11:36pm

My brother Matt's (Azazel's) SSN was stolen years and years ago, and my parents found out about seven or eight years ago (I think), and it took years to resolve. Yeah, it's a pain in the ass if it was stolen, but it's not the end of the world either. It is fixable.

Fuzzy · Post by **Fuzzy** » 2005-03-27 12:53am

Did you happen to record you SSN on your unsecured school network? *shifty eyes*

Post by **fgalkin** » 2005-03-27 01:26am

Hell, that's nothing. At my college, we use the SSN as our STUDENT ID NUMBER. Meaning that it is on EVERYTHING more or less official. The only reason I'm not panicking is due to the strength of numbers: there are 20,000 SSNs to steal, what are the odds it will be mine? Other than that, there is nothing I can do.

Have a very nice day.
-fgalkin

Superman · Post by **Superman** » 2005-03-27 03:23am

Mine was just stolen because of the hacker fuckers who broke into Chico State's information. I put a fraud alert on it.

IRG CommandoJoe · Post by **IRG CommandoJoe** » 2005-03-27 03:25am

fgalkin wrote:Hell, that's nothing. At my college, we use the SSN as our STUDENT ID NUMBER. Meaning that it is on EVERYTHING more or less official. The only reason I'm not panicking is due to the strength of numbers: there are 20,000 SSNs to steal, what are the odds it will be mine? Other than that, there is nothing I can do.

Have a very nice day.
-fgalkin

Same. Exact. Fucking. Thing.

Pisses me off to no end. Why do they DO that?!?!?!

Shinova · Post by **Shinova** » 2005-03-27 04:51am

fgalkin wrote:Hell, that's nothing. At my college, we use the SSN as our STUDENT ID NUMBER. Meaning that it is on EVERYTHING more or less official. The only reason I'm not panicking is due to the strength of numbers: there are 20,000 SSNs to steal, what are the odds it will be mine? Other than that, there is nothing I can do.

Have a very nice day.
-fgalkin

Your college is run by complete numbnuts.

Uraniun235 · Post by **Uraniun235** » 2005-03-27 05:05am

Shinova wrote:
fgalkin wrote:Hell, that's nothing. At my college, we use the SSN as our STUDENT ID NUMBER. Meaning that it is on EVERYTHING more or less official. The only reason I'm not panicking is due to the strength of numbers: there are 20,000 SSNs to steal, what are the odds it will be mine? Other than that, there is nothing I can do.

Have a very nice day.
-fgalkin

Your college is run by complete numbnuts.

Sadly, I suspect that this is not at all uncommon.

Thinkmarble · Post by **Thinkmarble** » 2005-03-27 07:07am

Stupid question:
Why is the social security number of such an importance in the USA ?

Frank Hipper · Post by **Frank Hipper** » 2005-03-27 07:18am

Thinkmarble wrote:Stupid question:
Why is the social security number of such an importance in the USA ?

It's pretty much the primary ID number for every person.

Gambler · Post by **Gambler** » 2005-03-27 07:24am

Thinkmarble wrote:Stupid question:
Why is the social security number of such an importance in the USA ?

I think it is because they don't have a national ID number like in most countries ( for example Personalausweis in germany), so they have to rely on their social security number. In my opinion it is one of the reasons why ID theft is so common in the US.

salm · Post by **salm** » 2005-03-27 07:25am

Frank Hipper wrote:
Thinkmarble wrote:Stupid question:
Why is the social security number of such an importance in the USA ?
It's pretty much the primary ID number for every person.

What is it needed for, for example, besides as student number at some unis?

Frank Hipper · Post by **Frank Hipper** » 2005-03-27 07:53am

salm wrote:
Frank Hipper wrote:
Thinkmarble wrote:Stupid question:
Why is the social security number of such an importance in the USA ?
It's pretty much the primary ID number for every person.
What is it needed for, for example, besides as student number at some unis?

Pretty much any interaction, at any level, with any branch of local, state, or federal government.
And that's just for starters, you can't even get an above board job in this country without one, or it's equivalent (for foreign people working here legally).

salm · Post by **salm** » 2005-03-27 07:56am

Frank Hipper wrote:
salm wrote:
Frank Hipper wrote:It's pretty much the primary ID number for every person.
What is it needed for, for example, besides as student number at some unis?
Pretty much any interaction, at any level, with any branch of local, state, or federal government.
And that's just for starters, you can't even get an above board job in this country without one, or it's equivalent (for foreign people working here legally).

so you have to give out your ss for lots of stuff. why is it so problematic then if it´s stolen? i mean all the people who do the paper work for the interactions that require the ss have it anyway.

Frank Hipper · Post by **Frank Hipper** » 2005-03-27 08:05am

salm wrote: so you have to give out your ss for lots of stuff. why is it so problematic then if it´s stolen? i mean all the people who do the paper work for the interactions that require the ss have it anyway.

Seeing as how it's, for all intents and purposes, pretty much who you are to the government, it's an important part of stealing a person's identity.

phongn · Post by **phongn** » 2005-03-27 09:40am

USF is slowly trying to move away from using SSNs but they have decades of institutional inertial behind them.

Tinkerbell · Post by **Tinkerbell** » 2005-03-27 10:07am

IRG CommandoJoe wrote:
fgalkin wrote:Hell, that's nothing. At my college, we use the SSN as our STUDENT ID NUMBER. Meaning that it is on EVERYTHING more or less official. The only reason I'm not panicking is due to the strength of numbers: there are 20,000 SSNs to steal, what are the odds it will be mine? Other than that, there is nothing I can do.

Have a very nice day.
-fgalkin
Same. Exact. Fucking. Thing.

Pisses me off to no end. Why do they DO that?!?!?!

At my high school, they use this really shitty gradebook software, but up until this year any teacher could see any student's SSN. It was next toi their address and phone number

Darth Fanboy · Post by **Darth Fanboy** » 2005-03-27 12:03pm

In Iowa, the Social Security number used to be the DRIVERS LICENSE NUMBER.

Of course that has been changed now, they edit out the middle numbers last I saw, but you can still get a good chunk of someones number like that.

Petrosjko · Post by **Petrosjko** » 2005-03-27 12:18pm

salm wrote:
Frank Hipper wrote:
salm wrote: What is it needed for, for example, besides as student number at some unis?
Pretty much any interaction, at any level, with any branch of local, state, or federal government.
And that's just for starters, you can't even get an above board job in this country without one, or it's equivalent (for foreign people working here legally).
so you have to give out your ss for lots of stuff. why is it so problematic then if it´s stolen? i mean all the people who do the paper work for the interactions that require the ss have it anyway.

SSN is also required to get loans and credit cards. It's one of the major facets of proving your identity, and getting it stolen is a great way to suddenly have your credit report zero out... you do your credit check, and find out that you took out twenty grand in loans and cards, huzzah!

Zac Naloen · Post by **Zac Naloen** » 2005-03-27 12:24pm

Thats like the national Insurance number in the UK, those cards are a bitch to get replaced if you lose it.