Social Security Admin helps Identity Thieves while Claiming to Protect your Identity

PRPN News Staff

18 Nov 2012

The Social Security Administration (SSA), a part of the United States Executive Branch, touts its commitment to the sanctity of you 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 using website to read the bar-codes on these forms.

As an example, this is what can be found on some forms:

Read more at http://www.prepperpodcast.com/social-security-admin-helps-identity-thieves-claiming-protect-identity/#ixzz2Cce0LiTe