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Social Security Admin helps identity thieves while claiming to protect your identity
James Smith, Contributor
Activist Post
The Social Security Administration (SSA), a part of the United States Executive Branch, touts its commitment to the sanctity of your Social Security Number (SSN).
From Wikipedia:
In the United States, a Social Security number (SSN) is a nine-digit number issued to U.S. citizens, permanent residents, and temporary (working) residents under section 205(c)(2) of the Social Security Act, codified as 42 U.S.C. § 405(c)(2). The number is issued to an individual by the Social Security Administration, an independent agency of the United States government. Its primary purpose is to track individuals for Social Security purposes.[1]
A Social Security number may be obtained by applying on Form SS-5, “Application for A Social Security Number Card”.[2]
Over time, the number has been used for more diverse purposes than simply taxes, essentially making it a de facto national identification number.[3]
From 1961 to 1972, the card was imprinted with “For Social Security and Tax Purposes — Not For Identification.”
In recent years, most government agencies have changed their policies to remove Personally Identifiable Information (PII) placed on correspondences; they may only use the last 4 or 5 digits of the SSN, but never the full SSN. This is not the case for the sworn protectors of your Social Security benefits.
In fact, not only can you find the SSN on nearly every form sent out by the SSA, but complete SSN’s, addresses, dates of birth, can all be found by reading the bar-codes on these forms. As an example, this is what can be found on some forms:
While it may look confusing to you, an identity thief can decipher the hidden nuggets of data to reveal:
John Q Public 1155 N Main St Barstow CA 92311 111223333 01011950
With your social security number and date of birth now in the hand of thieves, your identity has been stolen and your credit is now compromised.
The SSA tries to protect you but their own policies and procedures defeat the expected level of protection.
But what can you expect from an agency that squanders taxpayer money to let employees smoke 10 hours per pay period on your dime?
This article first appeared at Prepper Podcast Radio Network.
Read other articles by James Smith HERE.
James is a father of four and grandfather to four. He and his wife of almost 30 years have been prepping since 2003. They live in a small town, with neighbors as close as 10 feet away and have raised chickens for 2 years covertly on less than 1/5 of an acre. He is a former corrections officer, insurance fraud investigator, and he served in the Navy for 6 years. He currently works for a corporation dealing with the disabled population and their benefits. He is the host of The Covert Prepper show and the Prepper Podcast Radio Network News, both heard on Blogtalk Radio.
2012-11-19 03:00:11
Source: http://www.activistpost.com/2012/11/social-security-admin-helps-identity.html
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