Privacy, Security and Identity theft
ID Theft Series #5 Social Security Number
by Cheryl Baumgartner Medical Billing/Coding/Insurance
Cheryl Baumgartner 
Medical...
Your social security number was never meant to be a form of identification, but it has become just that. Over the years your social security number was added to form after form, in many cases by companies who had no right to it. Now it has become a major form of identification. They ask for it for everything.
The IRS uses your social security number to track your income. That's an acceptable usage of your SSN. Since it's being used to track your income, job applications ask you for your SSN. When you are hired, the company you work for will report your income to the government (your salary is a business expense for the company). When tax time rolls around, you then report your salary to the government through your W-2 and 1040 forms. Depending on your taxable income, dependents and deductions you will either receive a refund for overpayment or send a check for the amount of tax you owe. All of us who have every held a job are familiar with this annual ritual.
Now lets look at what happens with Social Security ID theft because it is complex. There are outside influences that affect SSN theft. Illegal Immigration is probably the biggest concern. In many cases we are talking people who are desperate to escape from circumstances in their native country. To them, the situation is so intolerable that they take a shortcut and avoid legal channels of immigration. When they arrive here they find that they must have a social security number or other valid accepted type of ID(Green card) to be employed. Since they don't have one of their own, they must use one that belongs to someone else.
This has lead to the rise in identity theft rings. These Identity theft rings provide illegal immigrants with documentation, often stolen information. Immigration and Customs Enforcement(ICE), works hard at breaking up these rings and often find employees of the targeted business are part of the ring themselves. 67 illegal immigrants using stolen identities at Portland produce company. In this case the stolen identities were provided by the staffing firm. ICE is actively involved in worksite enforcement and not a month goes by that another arrest, indictment or investigation is reported.
Now how does this affect you as an individual? Well are you sure your social security number has not been compromised? Could someone be working using your number somewhere in the U.S.? If they are, you could be facing grief from the IRS because you have not reported the income of that unknown worker. There's even a case of a young woman who applied for a job at WalMart only to be told she already worked there, or at least her social security number did.
The other issue is of those aliens who have criminal charges/histories. If they are attached to your social security number, you could be looking at a criminal history or warrants issued in your name. Understand that this is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Social Security Identity theft. Your SSN can be used to obtain housing, utilities and other goods or services also. Because this issue is so involved it will take more than one discussion post to get to it all, click here for part 2.
Oct 5th 2007 09:36
Medical...Your social security number was never meant to be a form of identification, but it has become just that. Over the years your social security number was added to form after form, in many cases by companies who had no right to it. Now it has become a major form of identification. They ask for it for everything.
The IRS uses your social security number to track your income. That's an acceptable usage of your SSN. Since it's being used to track your income, job applications ask you for your SSN. When you are hired, the company you work for will report your income to the government (your salary is a business expense for the company). When tax time rolls around, you then report your salary to the government through your W-2 and 1040 forms. Depending on your taxable income, dependents and deductions you will either receive a refund for overpayment or send a check for the amount of tax you owe. All of us who have every held a job are familiar with this annual ritual.
Now lets look at what happens with Social Security ID theft because it is complex. There are outside influences that affect SSN theft. Illegal Immigration is probably the biggest concern. In many cases we are talking people who are desperate to escape from circumstances in their native country. To them, the situation is so intolerable that they take a shortcut and avoid legal channels of immigration. When they arrive here they find that they must have a social security number or other valid accepted type of ID(Green card) to be employed. Since they don't have one of their own, they must use one that belongs to someone else.
This has lead to the rise in identity theft rings. These Identity theft rings provide illegal immigrants with documentation, often stolen information. Immigration and Customs Enforcement(ICE), works hard at breaking up these rings and often find employees of the targeted business are part of the ring themselves. 67 illegal immigrants using stolen identities at Portland produce company. In this case the stolen identities were provided by the staffing firm. ICE is actively involved in worksite enforcement and not a month goes by that another arrest, indictment or investigation is reported.
Now how does this affect you as an individual? Well are you sure your social security number has not been compromised? Could someone be working using your number somewhere in the U.S.? If they are, you could be facing grief from the IRS because you have not reported the income of that unknown worker. There's even a case of a young woman who applied for a job at WalMart only to be told she already worked there, or at least her social security number did.
The other issue is of those aliens who have criminal charges/histories. If they are attached to your social security number, you could be looking at a criminal history or warrants issued in your name. Understand that this is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Social Security Identity theft. Your SSN can be used to obtain housing, utilities and other goods or services also. Because this issue is so involved it will take more than one discussion post to get to it all, click here for part 2.
Oct 5th 2007 09:36
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