Identity theft is one of the fastest growing crimes in America. Scammers use your Social Security number (SSN) to get other personal information about you. They can use your SSN and your good credit to apply for more credit in your name. Then, when they use the credit cards and don’t pay the bills, it damages your credit. You may not find out that someone is using your SSN until you’re turned down for credit, or you begin to get calls from unknown creditors demanding payment for items you never bought.
Your SSN is confidential. The agency protects your SSN and keeps your records confidential and it does not give your number to anyone, except when authorized by law. You should be careful about sharing your number, even when you’re asked for it. You should ask why your number is needed, how it’ll be used, and what will happen if you refuse. The answers to these questions can help you decide if you want to give out your SSN.
How might someone steal your SSN? Scammers get your personal information by:
• Stealing wallets, purses, and your mail (bank and credit card statements, preapproved credit offers, new checks, and tax information).
• Stealing personal information you provide to an unsecured site online, from business or personnel records at work, and personal information in your home.
• Rummaging through your trash, the trash of businesses, and public trash dumps for personal data.
• Buying personal information from “inside” sources. For example, a scammer may pay a store employee for information about you that appears on an application for goods, services, or credit.
• Posing by phone, email, text, or direct messages in social media as someone who legitimately needs information about you, such as employers, landlords, or government agencies.
For more information, click here.
Teaching Suggestions
- Ask students to make a list of actions they can take to protect their Social Security number.
- Ask students if they or their family members have their Social Security number stolen. What was the outcome and how they might be protecting their number now?
Discussion Questions
- Why is it important to protect your Social Security number?
- How most people discover that their Social Security number has been stolen? What should they do?
kapoormoneyminute 