Most Americans have no idea that every time they divulge their Social Security number they are taking a catastrophic risk of being a victim of identity theft. Have you ever thought about how many times you’ve given out your Social Security number without thinking about the consequences? Or why so many organizations say they need it? When it comes to asking for Social Security numbers, what’s legally required is far different from what’s become common practice from coast to coast. According to the Social Security Administration, people must provide it for tax returns, federal loans, financial institutions, employers, government programs, credit applications and credit reporting, and for the Department of Motor Vehicles. Hospitals, medical professionals, public utility companies, and colleges often ask for your Social Security number because they want to use it to track you down if you owe them money. Your SSN is easy prey for anyone that lays eyes upon it and last year 3,000,000 fraudulent IRS tax refunds were made with social security numbers often gained by stolen or compromised access to your SSN. Repairing your damaged credit or financial reputation is often a life changing and devastating event. Americans must demand from their state and Federal legislator’s laws that will protect unauthorized demands for them to submit their Social Security number to specific businesses and organizations.
