Time to tweak the Social Security number?

KnoxNews ^ | 7-19-06 | Nicholas Beadle

[STARWISE]

It is the nine-digit key to your life - and B.J. Ostergren has more than 18,000 of them.

For the past four years, the 57-year-old former insurance adjuster has lost sleep to gain boxes crammed with public records, many plucked from county clerks and recorders' Web sites.

They have one golden kernel: Social Security numbers, usually partnered with enough information to open a fraudulent line of credit - or worse.

From her home in Hanover County, Va., she writes and calls the holders of the numbers she turns up, many of whom did not know their records were online. Her Web site, the Virginia Watchdog, has a page devoted to political leaders whose Social Security numbers she has found with ease.

Some of her best finds: former CIA chief Porter Goss, former Secretary of State Colin Powell and the president's brother, Florida Gov. Jeb Bush - and their wives.

"We're just spoon-feeding criminals," Ostergren said.

Over the past seven decades, the Social Security number has evolved into the primary identifier in nearly every facet of American life. Because of that, many believe it is time to add a few more keys to the chain - or completely change the lock.

[STARWISE]

Identity theft has dipped from about 10.1 million victims in 2003 to roughly 8.9 million in 2005, according to a survey performed by Javelin Strategy and Research, a business consulting firm. But because identity thieves are using information to open more new credit lines and accounts rather than pilfering from existing ones, the average cost per case has risen from $5,249 to $6,383, said Rubina Johannes, a Javelin research analyst.

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Very scary to ponder .. how do you prevent it?

[IamConservative]

Very scary to ponder .. how do you prevent it?

Become an illegal alien. You get free medical treatment, don't have to pay taxes and never get audited.

[evets]

Chip it!

[TommyDale]

For a document that says right on it "Not to be used for identification", the Social Security number certainly is used a lot for identification.

[azhenfud]

Very scary to ponder .. how do you prevent it?

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By developing and implementing a scannable social security card system containing embedded digital biographical information and images which can be electronically compared via network to that of a nationwide database which would help reduce fraud, and the linking of those card ID's to state DMV licenses and state voter registrations. By making the SSI cards scannable and verifiable online, many excuses felon employers and illegal employees now use to circumvent U.S. immigration code would be reduced or eliminated as well as helping eliminate claims of ignorance which complicate successful prosecutions. This system would also help reduce incidents of identity theft, thus providing consumers added security from those with malicious intent as well as adding valuable security in the information off shoring trends taking place where consumers' personal and financial information is being distributed among entities in countries not subject to U.S. courts' jurisdiction.

[Sgt_Schultze]

A female named B.J. has to be impeached former president clinton's fantasy.

[gridlock]

Just so long as the 5th digit still designates race.

(PS. Moonbats actually believe the above to be true...)

[STARWISE]

How does that help written/online applications, etc.?

[Terabitten]

Yup... those can go either in the left hand or the forehead.


No thanks.

[sourcery]

how do you prevent it?

By making the credit grantors and credit bureaus fully responsible for any and all finanical consequences of identity theft. That will make them redesign the system so that identity theft will be far more difficult.

[elmer fudd]

It should be pretty easy to prevent. Just let people change their SS#'s at will up to a maximum of twice a year. Once people start changing SS#'s on a regular basis then credit companies, insurance companies, etc... will find them to be useless and stop using them.

[Joe 6-pack]

"Very scary to ponder .. how do you prevent it?"

I simply maintain a credit rating that is poison to any would be thief.

[dalereed]

"For a document that says right on it "Not to be used for identification""

That was removed at least 40 years ago, only us old bastards have one like that.

[Publius6961]

There are what? A half dozen credit bureaus?

Why hasn't someone thought to establish a procedure that would not allow any account of any kind to be opened without the written consent of the card holder from a specific address, plus a phone call from an identifiable number?

That would stop fraud in its tracks, at minimum inconvenience, for those of us that establish a new account or make a new large purchase one every couple of years...

[Jack Black]

the center two used to be year of birth. mine, my brother and my sisters numbers are all identical except for the center two which are our birth years.

[oh8eleven]

That was removed at least 40 years ago, only us old bastards have one like that.
Mine too - LOL!

[N. Theknow]

That was removed at least 40 years ago, only us old bastards have one like that.

Does it mean you're old if your SSN is in Roman numerals?

[CORedneck]

Hell no & over my dead body !

Chip it!

[ SNIP - Xray of hand w/ chip ]

[logician2u]

For a document that says right on it "Not to be used for identification" . .

The old cards did, but I believe the new ones omit that phrase. Apparently the gullible public never noticed or cared.

This book would probably have the history of that, as well as some helpful hints on staying anonymous.

[dalereed]

You're really old if you were born BC!

It's too late to change the # system, it's used by too many organizations both government and private.

I'm sure mine can be accessed online by anyone that wants it.

I've never tried it but if someone looked up my pilots licence it would be there. Even over 25 years ago when I got it they had gone to making your SS# your license #.