SOMEONE USING YOUR SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER – WHAT TO DO: PART TWO.

The first critical step in stopping the unauthorized or fraudulent use of your Social Security Number (SSN) will seem very strange. Yet it is critical and the consequences of not completing this step can be disastrous.

At KnightsBridge Castle we find that over 35% of the clients that come to us find what the credit bureaus call a “duplicated” use of the SSN. While this can be harmless it can also indicate ongoing fraud. Not resolving an unexplained use can lead to disastrous consequences including IRS tax liens, medical benefits fraud, fraudulent employment, drivers license fraud, arrest warrants, and a wide variety of identity theft crimes. SSN fraud is the most common form of identity theft. More common than credit fraud, and the consequences are far worse than fraud involving credit cards.

The first step is obtaining confirmation from the Social Security Administration (SSA) that the number you believe is your SSN is actually the number assigned to you by the SSA. Your SSN card, your annual statement, and letters addressed to you by the SSA are not enough. You must be absolutely certain that the SSN is yours and that you have a confirmation document from the SSA that will protect you from liability.

Why? Well to start with the SSA has by its own admission duplicated millions and millions of numbers since its inception. Errors within the SSA are appallingly common. Further while the SSA often receives payments into the system from multiple persons using the same SSN it does nothing to investigate or confirm who is the actual account holder. The amount of these false payments indicates the dimension of the problem of SSN fraud - $520,000,000,000 to date! At KnightsBridge Castle we occasionally find people who are absolutely certain that they have memorized their number only to discover that they are off by one digit. Since you cannot afford to be wrong about your number you must be certain – certain to a degree that will stand up in court.

You will need to file a “Numi-dent” with the SSA to obtain a copy of your original application and your SSN assignment. Armed with this document you have the “proof” necessary to proceed against fraudsters. The “Numi-dent” takes about three to six months to process so patience is needed. While waiting for the "Numi-dent" you need to take additional steps to protect yourself. We will cover these steps in a later blog entry.

If you visit your local SSA office you may well encounter the following responses when requesting a “Numi-dent”: (1) What’s a Numi-dent – never hear of it! (2) You don’t need that, your number is ok, I checked. (3) Here is a print our showing your name and number. All of these responses are wrong and may well cause you real harm as you set out to prevent fraud and help catch a fraudster.

Next in Part Three – Determining how your SSN is being used – an error or a fraud?

Part 1 of this series was posted on August 23, 2006.
Additional information on this problem was posted on August 9, 2006