One of your key identity documents is your Social Security Number, which is needed for a whole range of activities such as applying for new jobs or new credit accounts, paying taxes and also motor vehicle registration and car rental, and for this reason your SSN can be targeted by thieves to use in a range of identity fraud crimes.
The number of SSN fraud crimes are growing every year, and one of the reasons for this is that the SSN card has no unique identifiers such as a photo, which makes it impossible to tell if the person carrying the card and using the SSN number is who they say they are. Congress are currently proposing changes to federal law that will see a greater restriction in the use of SSN as an identification document, which will mean thieves will not be able to apply for commercial credit and rental accounts using a stolen SSN.
It is possible for multiple people to use a stolen SSN without the victims knowledge, racking up a number of fraudulent crimes in their name, and one of the most common purposes for this is to falsely legitimatise illegal immigrants so that they can obtain work without coming to the attention of authorities. It has been estimated that over 7 million illegal immigrants are currently using stolen SSN numbers in order to work and pay Social Security taxes, which is a staggering amount that adds up to a tax surplus of over $7 billion every year.
The effects of Social Security Number Identity Fraud
There are a number of ways a stolen SSN can affect its victims and these include:
• Medical and work benefits can be compromised when other people use you SSN to apply for other jobs and credit
• Your SSN can be used to fraudulently to add traffic violations and accidents to your records, compromising your insurance and even the validity of your own driver’s license status.
• The IRS can tax you for all of the income recorded using your SSN number, and you will then have to go through the lengthy process of proving you did not work for the employers or earn the additional wages recorded.
• Your SSN number can be used by criminals to mask their own identity when questioned by police, leaving you legally liable for any crimes recorded using your name, which can be difficult to clear.