Why won't the government issue another Social Security Number?

Question

If it was stolen along with a credit card. Why would the government not want to help someone keep from having their identity stolen before it happens? All credit card charges this person has made have been cancelled along with the card, but if they have the social security card can't they just keep applying for a new card?

Answer 1

Whether it was meant to be or not your SSN has become the major way to identify you for several things including your Credit Report. The government can issue new SSN's but it is in a very very very limited number of conditions and even then it takes a lot of paperwork.

The reason they don't do it more often because for every person that would change it because they had their identity stolen, there would be two others who want it changed to try and get a new credit history.

If you have had your SS Number or any credit cards stolen you can place a Fraud Alert on your Credit report. This is absolutely free and the first one you can do is for 90 days. After that you can place a 7 year alert but you need to show proof that you may have had your identity stolen(a police report is usually enough). Also once you notify one of the 3 agencies they automatically notify the other 2. Once the alert is placed on your file there are additional steps that people must do to confirm it is you applying for credit.

Answer 2

The government doesn't want to issue two numbers to the same person. That would confuse the whole system. Have you notified the three major credit bureaus about your ID theft problems? You should.

Answer 3

They can. However, you must first try to control the fraud by setting a fraud alert, monitoring your credit reports and notifying credit bureaus, if and when a new unauthorized account arises.
If all else fails and you can't get the perpetrator to stop, the SSA can authorize you a new number. But it's definitely their last resort.