Social Security Numbers

Have you thought about how the thieves that deal in identity theft have changed so many things? Since technology has come into everyone’s homes it is easier for people that want to steal from us to do so. Technology has opened the door to many conveniences such as banking and paying bills from your home computer; however not all the safeguards to protect accounts were in place before people started using these methods. Unfortunately there are genius level computer hackers that would rather spend their talent stealing from others than making a legitimate living. They spend hours finding way of getting around security systems rather than doing something constructive with their talents.

This threat of theft has changed the way people deal with their social security numbers. When I was in college your social security number was used as your student identification. Our grades would be posted outside of professor’s offices by our social security numbers. Now with so many people having their identities stolen through the use of their birth date and social security numbers; people are being advised to protect their numbers by not giving them out unless you are given a specific reason why it is needed. Also never carry your social security card with you in case your wallet or purse would be stolen. My husband and I keep our cards in our safety deposit box along with our passports and birth certificates. These are documents that are not needed very often and it is peace of mind to know where they are. The only time you need to produce a copy of your social security card is for a new employer. They want a copy of the card to insure that the social security withholdings from your pay check are going into the right retirement account.

There are other safety things to do to protect yourself from theft. If you are in a restaurant where you do not know the wait staff or management, do not let the wait person take your credit or credit card. Even if the restaurant encourages payment at the table take your card to the pay station with the wait staff so they cannot write down your number. Also do not sign the back of your credit and debit cards. On the signature line write ask for identification. This way the clerk or wait staff will ask to see your identification so that they are sure it is you using the card. These things may take more time, but it is great protection. The added steps may take you’re a little more time, but they also discourage theft.

Summary
Social security numbers are the cavier of data for web thieves. They spend more time trying to obtain other people's numbers for illegal purposes than anything else. Always protect your number like it is made of solid gold. Keep it in a safe place. Don't carry it around. You can also use services such as Life Lock to protect your credit and name. They have very affordable plans for your peace of mind.

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