Your social security number is very important, it's like your password in life, all of your information is tied into that number. Many people don't know this, but only a few organizations actually have the right to know your social security number. Today almost everybody is requesting a social security number for access to something, schools, video stores, phone companies, health clubs, etc. The main reason for companies asking for your number is to make sure you pay your bills, to keep track of address changes and to check your credit rating. Many of these companies sell your social security number to marketing lists who then sell your number to companies. The fact that all these people having access to your social security number is dangerous because the chances of it falling into the hands of the wrong person is great. They can take your number, then use your name and your credit report to steal money from you.
Any business can ask for your social security, but what most people don't know is that there are only a few companies who can actually demand your number. The Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV), the welfare department and the tax department are a few of the entities that can demand your social security number. Social security numbers are also required to do transactions that involve taxes, so employers and banks would need it. If a company asks you for your social security number ask them if they would accept an alternative piece of identification, if for some reason they say no then it is best to take your business elsewhere. Refusing to give your social security number to whoever asks for it will protect you from allowing your number to end up in the wrong hands. Even when you go to your doctor's office, you don't have to fill in your social security number, your number is classified information and only meant for those institutions that absolutely need it.
Social security numbers exist mainly to track your earnings and benefits, they were never meant to be used by businesses as identifiers. If you feel that someone has used your social security number you should request copies of your credit reports at least twice a year. The three largest credit reporting agencies are Equifax, Experian and TransUnion and it's best to get one from all three so you can check for discrepancies.
Remember that all a criminal needs to get access to your credit cards, bank account and any other critical information is your social security number. Only a few companies can demand your social security number, so if someone demands your social security number with no relevant intent take your business elsewhere, your identity is a lot more precious than their business is.
Listed below are more articles related to the above article from the "Identity Theft" article category.
People interested in the above article "How To Protect Your Social Security Number" are also interested in the related articles listed below:
Identity theft has become a major problem in recent years, and is growing by leaps and bound. Many people feel that it is becoming as epidemic due to large number of people being affected by this crime. It has become very important to safeguard against such crimes, and the best identity theft protection is to take the proactive stance and make it difficult for criminals to access your personal information.
Many people that regularly use the Internet are affected by nagging fear that online transactions are not safe and that anybody can easily steal your credit card information. However, it would be foolish to let these unreasonable fears prevent you from transacting over the Internet because many times it is perfectly safe to transact online.
Of course to prevent yourself from being a victim of identity theft you are going to want to routinely check for fraud identity theft, and more than anything this means checking your credit report. You can do it manually, but you can also take the easy way out and get an automatic identity theft fraud alert.
Identity theft is defined as being a crime that involves the stealing or misrepresenting of another person's information in order to commit other crimes. Any information such as name, address, credit card numbers, and social security numbers can be taken and used to commit identity theft, and this is why you need to pay close attention to your personal information and protect yourself.
Identity theft is a very serious issue in the world today, because it happens so often. In fact, chances are that you already know someone who has dealt with identity theft in the past, and so it is a subject that you should be educated on and really take very seriously.
There are a few steps in particular that you are going to want to take if you want the best identity theft fraud protection. These are possibly the most important steps that you will ever take in your life, as identity theft is now recognized as being one of the most commonly occurring and serious crimes in the world.
There is some kinds of mail that most people do not mind getting and then there is the mail no one wants to get. If you get a notification in the mail that you just won the lottery then you are probably pretty happy. Then there is the kind of mail you get that on the surface is terrible news but then there is good news of some sort in there too.
