I was at a line trying to file my new electricity line and I had to take my SSN with me, I saw a mexican guy straring at my SSN, I quickly flipped the card over but now I am worried sick..What options do I have?
thanks..serious answers only
2006-11-14 07:23:03 · 15 answers · asked by Anonymous in Politics & Government ➔ Law & Ethics
What credit reporting agencies would you suggest? and How would I know by looking at the report if my credit was stolen?
Sorry,I am not being a racist or anything but there is so much going down that you just don't feel safe anymore
2006-11-14 07:36:49 · update #1
Sorry, i typed in haste, the exact words should be 'the guy seemed like a potential illegal alien'
2006-11-14 07:38:47 · update #2
Go to www.socialsecurity.gov. It's #1 on the Yahoo search results page. In the search box at the head of the Social Security Administration page, choose "social security number and card". You will get a list of questions. Go to page 2, question 22. The details are there.
The gist of it is that you will have to wait until there is actual use of your SSN by another before they will issue you a new one, but I would advise you to read it for yourself.
2006-11-14 07:38:31 · answer #1 · answered by pessimoptimist 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
In order for someone to use your SSN for employment, they would also need your name and date of birth. Your address is not maintained in the Social Security database that is used by employers to verify if a particular applicant has valid documents. If you are really concerned, request a fraud alert on your credit records with all three credit agencies: Experian, Equifax and Trans-Union. If you have home-owners or renters insurance you can probably get identity-theft coverage that will pay the costs of cleaning up your credit record if anyone steals your identity. Allstate offered this coverage for $25 in addition to the normal premium for home insurance.
If someone uses your name and SSN to get a job, you will hear from the IRS sometime in the future. It may take several years for it to catch up with you. The last place I worked, we got an IRS garnishment order for an employee for underpaid taxes on returns dating back several years. The order showed the worker had jobs with us and with another employer 700 miles away at the same time. When we notified this worker of the garnishment, she disappeared without getting her paycheck. She was using someone else's identity to work for our company for 4 years.
2006-11-14 15:51:24 · answer #2 · answered by Andreas 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You can't just change your SSN... it is assigned to you from birth (the first three digits represent where you were born), it's really only the last four that are "unique."
Did he also see your address, in addition to your name and SSN?
Just keep an eye on your credit report, and be prepared. You probably should be alright, but be more careful next time.
To answer your question, in order to check your credit report, you are allowed to check each agency (TransUnion, Experian, and Equifax) once a year through:
http://www.annualcreditreport.com
Just go ahead and check one of them now, and in a couple months check another one. You should just plan from now on anyway to every four months use one of these to check your credit report...
2006-11-14 15:27:11 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Put a fraud alert out on your credit report. That way anyone trying to use your ssn to run your credit MUST notify you first. You can go to the 3 credit reporting agencies online to do this.
2006-11-14 15:27:50 · answer #4 · answered by Janhellyca 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
He probably didn't have the ability to see it cleary enough or to memorize it, so it's not likely to be a problem.
If you were worried, you could probably call the SS administration and inquire about their procedures for changing numbers.
Also, check annualcreditreport.com - you can get a free credit report once a year from each of the three main credit reporting bodies, so if you stagger your requests, you can get a free report every 4 months. That way you can check to see if anyone is messing with your identity and credit.
2006-11-14 15:27:19 · answer #5 · answered by a_blue_grey_mist 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
If you are concerned about fraud, you should contact Experian or one of the other credit agencies. You can put a lock on your account, so that if anyone applies for a credit reference or a line of credit, you will be contacted before they give out the information. I think the lock is good for 90 days.
You cannot change your social security number.
2006-11-14 15:58:31 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
You can't do anything. The government will only change your SSN in cases of severe identity theft, and even then it's rare.
I would alert your local SSA office that you may have had your identity stolen.
Remember though: a number by itself isn't as deadly as a number AND your name. Also, don't just assume that because he was Hispanic that he stole your ID.
2006-11-14 15:25:25 · answer #7 · answered by FaZizzle 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Excuse me if I'm wrong but you're a bit paranoid. Just because a Mexican looked at your social security number does not mean he would steal it. Says who Mexicans go around stealing social security numbers? That's slightly racist. I'm not saying you definitely are because I don't know the whole story, but I guess you should just keep an eye on suspicious activities under your name. But most likely nothing will happen.
2006-11-14 15:31:27 · answer #8 · answered by imtrustworthy 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
You would have to prove actual fraudulent use on multiple occasions (like the woman whose SSN was being used by 200 illegal aliens http://www.libertypost.org/cgi-bin/readart.cgi?ArtNum=145175 ) or imminent physical danger (as in the witness protection program) to get your SSN changed.
It is very rarely done.
2006-11-14 15:33:49 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 4⤊ 0⤋
You cannot change a SSN. You can only advise the SS office that there may have been a compromise.
2006-11-14 15:25:02 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋