Social Security Identity Theft

Social Security / Identity Theft

Because it is the most widely utilized personal identification, most cases of Identity Theft and Identity Fraud involve some form of theft and/or misuse of the victim’s Social Security number. The Social Security number is directly linked to a victim’s credit file and is required for bank accounts, so financial identity theft cases will almost certainly involve the theft and misuse of the victim’s SSN. However, this is not the only means by which an SSN can be misused. In non-financial account cases involving the theft and misuse of the victim’s Social Security number, the thief may use the victim’s SSN to obtain employment, avoid filing or paying taxes, or to obtain benefits in the victim’s name. Non-financial misuse of a victim’s Social Security number can be exceptionally difficult to discover, because such misuse is generally not uncovered through traditional methods of review or monitoring. For example, criminals or illegal aliens may utilize the victim’s SSN for years in order to gain employment and generate income. The victim may discover the fraud only because the thief failed to pay the resulting income taxes, and created significant tax liabilities or penalties for the victim. Others may utilize the victim’s SSN to apply for and receive Social Security, Medicare, unemployment, or other government benefits, thus depleting the victim’s own benefits and/or creating potential garnishments or charges of benefits fraud. The SSN is also regularly utilized for the owner’s medical records and insurance policies, which can lead to another form of the crime known as Medical Identity Theft