A VIEW ON SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER

A VIEW ON SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER

With just your name, Social Security number and birth date, identity thieves are often limited only by their creativity. They can go on a shopping spree using credit cards in your name, take out large sums of money at the bank, and apply for health insurance, cell phone service or even a new job as your financially irresponsible clone. And it can take years to set the record straight.
You'll never entirely erase your chances of falling prey to identity thieves. But you can lessen your vulnerability.
If merchants wants to run a credit check on you, ask that they do so without your Social Security number. Smith suggests politely trying this a few times, noting in his experience, some merchants have been willing to bend. "See if it goes through," he said. "If they say 'No,' go elsewhere."

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IDENTITY THEFT ARTICLE
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The truth is, in most instances, a Social Security number is not required to pull up your credit report. "It's just one piece of identifying information," said Diane Terry, the director of the fraud victims assistance department at TransUnion, one of the three major credit bureaus. "If we can identify it without the Social Security number...we can release it that way."

A merchant can pull your credit report with just your name and address, she said. To insure they pull up the right report, give your full name with middle initial, your current address as well as any other addresses you may have had in the past five years.

Question a business about its security practices. The Federal Trade Commission, which runs an identity theft program, suggests you ask four things: why your Social Security number is needed, how it will be used, what law requires you to provide it and what will happen if you don't.

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HOW TO PREVENT FROM C.C. FRAUD
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Never write your Social Security number on a personal check. Some stores may say they require it to accept your check. But "they don't need your Social Security number," said attorney Naomi Lefkovitz of the FTC. And if they're using it for identification purposes they can select some other way, she said, such as asking for your phone number or a photo ID.

Don't give it to a video rental store. Why some video stores request Social Security numbers is a mystery to Lefkovitz, Terry and Social Security Administration spokeswoman Carolyn Cheesum. Both Terry and Cheesum have refused to give their numbers in such a situation and suggest you do the same. The same goes for health clubs.

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HOW TO USE SAFE CREDIT CARED
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Ask for a new password or account number. Often, Lefkovitz said, businesses use your Social Security number as your ID number. Ask that they use a random number instead. This strategy worked for her when she applied for insurance. And don't give your mother's maiden name either, which companies often use as a password, she said.

posted by Rajendra Gupta @ 8:05 AM