How do the illegal immigrants get away with fake social security cards?
Here's the thing...by law new employees must provide TWO forms of identification. A decent human resource department always makes sure this is provided.
If the SS is a fake number, and often they are, the payroll department does not get notification from the IRS until sometimes MONTHS after the employee is working.
There is no way a payroll or human resource department can know if an SS card is fake. The feds will find out once the paperwork is turned in BUT...like I say, often waaaay after the fact.
What often happened was the security departments, hey even the nurses, would have their paperwork turned in by the DEPARTMENT. Payroll had to assume that the department checked those two forms of ID. And this does not account for employees on a payroll from a long time ago.
It's easy to do, really. I could do it with half my brain tied behind my back.