Absolutely agreed. Someone used my husband’s SS# to get a phone about 10 years ago. When we discovered it through a bill we received, neither the phone company could give us information on who was using it, and they wouldn’t disconnect the phone, either. I called the social security administration and they said they couldn’t tell us anything — even if taxes had been filed under his number! That made absolutely no sense to me at all. I guess as long as they don’t get “caught” by issuing bills to the wrong people, the SSA, nor the IRS, nor even utilities companies care less if someone has your info.
My boss’s daughter found out at 18 that she had been filing taxes for 13 years and was the proud parent of a 9 and 11 year old. An IRS wanted to prosecute HER for false filing in another state!