What does my SSN do?

[Theory5]

Hello. I havent posted in a while but now I have a question. What does my Social Security number actually do? I am 16 and so my mother has my Social Security Number card. And trying to open bank accounts, purchase Green Dot visa credit cards and such is very difficult for me to do without my SSN. Why? I have heard that if your SSN is stolen people can get all your information from it. ( Which means my mother is wary about giving it to me) How? Doesn't that require access to the government databases? All I want to do is buy computer stuff on Ebay and not have to keep getting random prepaid cards with fixed amounts. COuld you guys please explain to me exactly what a social security number is and how people can get information from mine without access to government databases?

Oh, another thing, if SSN's are so revealing why do they use them? Why not random codes like that new password genorator that blizzard made for WOW. If Blizzard has better security for WOW what does that say about our government?

[freeztar]

This link at the social security site should answer your questions.

 

Identity Theft And Your Social Security Number

[Theory5]

eh not really. All that site said was stuff about how you should keep your number safe and what to do if you think someone it using it.

[freeztar]

From the link:

 

How might someone steal your number?

Identity thieves get your personal information by:

 

Stealing wallets, purses and your mail (bank and credit card statements, pre-approved credit offers, new checks and tax information);

Stealing personal information you provide to an unsecured site on the Internet, from business or personnel records at work and personal information in your home;

Rummaging through your trash, the trash of businesses and public trash dumps for personal data;

Posing by phone or E-mail as someone who legitimately needs information about you, such as employers or landlords; or

Buying personal information from “inside” sources. For example, an identity thief may pay a store employee for information about you that appears on an application for goods, services or credit.

 

It's not that these thieves get your ss# and then get your personal info (address, etc.). It's usually the other way around.

[Theory5]

AH. have you ever seen that commercial where some guy put his SSN on a bulletin board truck? it was for some identity fraud prevention company. Also what parts of the SSN number mean certain things?

[Overdog]

AH. have you ever seen that commercial where some guy put his SSN on a bulletin board truck? it was for some identity fraud prevention company. Also what parts of the SSN number mean certain things?

 

The IRS uses the number to identify you uniquely in their databases. I don't know what the different parts of the number mean. The company you are referring to is Lifelock, i believe. They call the three major credit bureaus and put a put a continuous fraud alert on your accounts. This is something you could do yourself. They also offer some other services as well...

 

Experian has filed a lawsuit against them...

 

Identity Theft Prevention & Recovery: Experian vs. LifeLock Lawsuit

 

It will be interesting to see how this gets resolved.

[Overdog]

When you get a credit card, or borrow money from a bank, the Credit Bureau's will start tracking your credit history in their databases. They will keep track of your credit history for the rest of your life, basically. So if you borrow some money and don't pay it back, or if you are late on your payments, it will go into your credit history.

 

Credit bureau - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

The Credit Bureaus sell this information to the Banks and any one else who has a legitimate reason for requesting it. If you have a bad credit history, the Banks and most other lending institutions will find out and will stop loaning you money.

 

You have certian rights regarding your credit report...

 

Facts on FACTA, the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act

[Turtle]

... Also what parts of the SSN number mean certain things?

 

According to this source:

...What The Numbers Mean

 

The nine-digit Social Security number is divided into three parts. The

first three numbers generally indicate the state of residence at the time a

person applies for his or her first card. Originally, the lowest numbers

were assigned to the New England states, and the numbers grew progressively

higher in the South and West. However, in recent years, this geographical

relationship has been disrupted somewhat by the need to allocate numbers

out of sequence to certain growing and populous states. The middle two

digits of a Social Security number have no special significance, but merely

serve to break the numbers into blocks of convenient size. The last four

characters represent a straight numerical progression of assigned numbers. ...

Your Social Security Number

 

I have boldened the 2-digit statement as it contradicts my book, Reading the Numbers by Mary Blocksma. She says of the 2 middle digits:

...The second group of numbers is the Social Security Administration's code for the year the card was issued, beginning with 01 and proceeding in a set pattern-not necessarily in sequence-from there. Number 385-42-0000, for example, does not mean that the card was issued in 1942--42 has been issued in different years by different states, depending on how quickly each of their three-digit state codes worked through the sequence. ...

 

Shhhh...it's a secret. :)