Posts Tagged ‘preventing identity theft’

If someone steals or misuses your Social Security number (SSN), which is issued by the Social Security Administration (SSA), does the SSA ever get involved in investigating the crime?

The answer is no. The SSA does not investigate ID theft, and they have no authority or budget to do so. So it’s a waste of time to contact them (unless your card was stolen and you need a replacement).

Now, if you’re a victim of Social Security benefit fraud or benefit checks are being stolen, that is in their jurisdiction and they will likely investigate. The part of the SSA that would get involved in that is the Office of the Inspector General (OIG).

If your Social Security card was lost or stolen, you should get a replacement. It can take quite a bit of time, so don’t wait until you need the card to take the step. The SSA website has instructions to help you out.

Now you may be wondering who will or should investigate your identity theft. The answer is “it depends.” But you can and should report it to the local law enforcement authorities where you live or where the crime happened. The local police really should take a report and make at least an attempt to investigate. But if they don’t, you can try the sheriff or state police.

Isn’t it amazing how millions of people willingly disclose sensitive personal information about themselves every day on social media websites? At other times, it’s just assumed that you’ll give up all sorts of personal details that are seemingly irrelevant to those who request it ⎯ our doctor’s office, our kids’ schools, a prospective employer or our local credit union.

Carelessly disclosing too much can get you in trouble. And unless you’re in the habit of regularly checking your credit report, you might not realize your identity has been hijacked and your credit impaired by an identity thief who’s used your personal details to open a line of credit in your name, thank you very much.

Thankfully, the government has begun trying to reel in the free flow of personal information, restricting or eliminating the use of Social Security numbers on Medicare cards and military ID cards, for example.

In Connecticut, where I live, a new law went into effect on October 1 that makes any individual or organization that collects your personal information responsible for safeguarding it. That means that if an employer collects your Social Security number or driver’s license number, they must create a privacy protection policy that is publicly displayed (like on a website or in an employee handbook). If any individual or entity collects your passport number, credit or debit card number or health ID number, they, too, must come up with a means of protecting your information and limiting access to it, whether that means safeguarding data and computer files or destroying them before disposing of unneeded information.

Those who fail to do so can be fined $500, up to a maximum of $500,000 per instance.

What’s your take on the new law? Sensible idea or overkill?
Does anything like it exist in your state?