

Social Security Numbering System Vulnerable to Fraud, Researchers Say - tokenadult
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/07/us/07numbers.html

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apowell
We need to stop treating SSNs as if they are a secret. A SSN receives little
more protection than a credit card number, and yet the consequences of having
it stolen are far greater and much more difficult to remedy.

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sachinag
The biggest risk is identity theft where the culprit uses your SSN to gain
credit in your name to buy stuff. You can protect yourself by placing a
"freeze" on your credit report. This is essentially what LifeLock does
(simplified). But you can do it for free by calling the rating agencies
yourself:

[http://www.ehow.com/how_4447446_block-companies-checking-
cre...](http://www.ehow.com/how_4447446_block-companies-checking-credit-
report.html)

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mhb
I thought that the problem with this is that it only freezes it for a certain
amount of time and then you have to call again.Maybe that's not true or has
changed?

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slig
I fail to imagine why the SSN is such a big deal. (Obviously, I'm not
american.)

Here in my country we do have a unique number for each person, but knowing it
is pretty useless by itself.

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philwelch
In America, knowing someone's SSN, date of birth, address, and a few other
pieces of information (mother's maiden name?) are enough to get credit in
their name, break into their bank accounts, and perform other forms of
malfeasance. It's a really bad system.

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eru
I guess our personal identification cards (Personalausweis) do have their
advantages in some situations. (Although you need little more than a birth
certificate to get such a card in the first place.)

Edit: Don't Americans use their driver's license as a form of ID?

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philwelch
Yes but those generally require more than a birth certificate to get as well.

Also you can get a state ID card if you're not licensed to drive, with
generally similar ID requirements. But they may vary by state.

