Why do you need my SSN???

[Akula]

I guess I don't really understand the role my SSN plays in my life. I was under the impression that my SSN was for social security purposes, things like disability should I need it or retirement benefits what have you.

 

Credit is based on SSN but I don't understand why, the credit card companies (banks, whatever) don't need to collect my disability or retirement and they don't contribute to it on my behalf. No need. They use it as a unique record of my identity, a fairly dangerous one at that.

 

I called to get Dish the other day and they wanted my SSN. I asked "why?". They just need it, so I told them I will give them a credit card number and an address if they want my money. I asked what role they play in the Social Security Administration and they said none. I said if you want me as a customer they have to figure something else out. They asked for my last 4, I gave them that.

 

I think we need a credit number or something.

[Casper]

I guess I don't really understand the role my SSN plays in my life. I was under the impression that my SSN was for social security purposes, things like disability should I need it or retirement benefits what have you.

 

Credit is based on SSN but I don't understand why, the credit card companies (banks, whatever) don't need to collect my disability or retirement and they don't contribute to it on my behalf. No need. They use it as a unique record of my identity, a fairly dangerous one at that.

 

I called to get Dish the other day and they wanted my SSN. I asked "why?". They just need it, so I told them I will give them a credit card number and an address if they want my money. I asked what role they play in the Social Security Administration and they said none. I said if you want me as a customer they have to figure something else out. They asked for my last 4, I gave them that.

 

I think we need a credit number or something.

 

It's your UID. You can share the same name as someone else, but not the same SSN.

[BloodRed]

As much as the government hates to call it what it is, but it is your federal ID number. They track all things through it because it is the one that that *should* be different for every single person.

[Smokey]

Ben is correct, it is the only unique identifier for individuals in this country, and trust me it makes things a lot easier. For instance, many european countries do not have a SSN system so it takes far more effort to prove who you are. How would you like to have to provide proof of residence with your last five mortgage checks in order to get your cable turned on?

 

While it is very important to guard your SSN as much as possible, it's also being used by more and more companies to verify your information because it's the best way to do so.

[jeffmeden]

I have a feeling that question was more rhetorical than anything. Ostensibly, they need your SSN because thats how they tell you apart from someone else with your name. More practically, they need your SSN because it's a very thin way of them making sure you are who you say you are. These are things we all know and accept. The question of practicality is what has many people (including yourself, I assume) in a quandary, as more and more companies demand this tidbit of information and it's pervasiveness as a 'national ID' grows, along with its potential for abuse.

 

Lets take one more step and ask ourselves 'How should a company/organization tell me apart from someone else with my same name, and at the same time tell me apart from someone pretending to be me?'. This is where technology like Biometrics and old fashioned tidbits like your mother's maiden name meet and (Ideally) hash into something that can tell you from the other 'you' and the impostor 'you', in a secure and private way. There are a lot of techniques out there to pull this off to varying degrees of confidence, what have you all found to be not worth the hassle or downright unsafe to practice?

[Akula]

My passport number is unique.

[Smokey]

My passport number is unique.

 

 

you're correct, but you know that a unique identifier that not everyone uses is useless. **Every US citizen is given a SSN.

 

 

 

 

**I realize this is not completely true, but it's not worth elaborating on for the context of this conversation. Bottom line is that the SSN is their best option among a slew of crappy choices.

[Akula]

Best for them, but it is information that is a. covered by the privacy act and b. very dangerous to let out into the public domain.

 

I like the last 4 idea, name/address/last 4 should pretty much make me 1 in 230,000,000

[ImUrOBGYN]

Best for them, but it is information that is a. covered by the privacy act and b. very dangerous to let out into the public domain.

 

I like the last 4 idea, name/address/last 4 should pretty much make me 1 in 230,000,000

 

I will generally only give up my last 4 and nothing more. And everyone else here is pretty much right on the money.

[Kevin R.]

I write mine on pieces of paper and throw them out the window.

[RedRocket1647545505]

I write mine on pieces of paper and throw them out the window.

 

 

That dumb fucking employee that works for the state of Ohio gave mine away.

[BloodRed]

I will generally only give up my last 4 and nothing more. And everyone else here is pretty much right on the money.

 

Normally if they have the rest of your SSN, that is all they request to verify you are who you claim to be. That is all the collection company my wife works for requests.

[Kevin R.]

That dumb fucking employee that works for the state of Ohio gave mine away.

 

Haha. I don't see anyone doing anything with it anyways, unless they want the $13 in my bank account or some shit.

[V8 Beast]

I write mine on pieces of paper and throw them out the window.

 

I am now officially Kevin R. Your $13 is mine!!!!!

 

MUHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH

[Patrick]

That dumb fucking employee that works for the state of Ohio gave mine away.

 

+1...stupid bs.

[CJINOHIO03]

to pull your credit most likely...you wouldnt believe how many people call without account numbers # too....how are they going to find your account if you have a common name etc

[Conesmasher]

If they want my last four, I ask for theirs as well. I mean it's only fair........right?

[Mojoe]

You do not need SSN to pull credit. You NEED permission though. I can look at anyones credit off of virtually very little info on them.

 

As for Dish; they are gathering info to use to come after you later, if needed. Many companies try to get it up front so the collections department has info to work with, or the collection company they sell your dept to. Name and last 4 are fine. Most of the time I can find you off of looking at your credit anyway. That's all they are looking to do.

[LJ]

That dumb fucking employee that works for the state of Ohio gave mine away.

 

 

actually.... nevermind I'm not even going to go into it

[Amy]

..

[Mallard]

Haha. I don't see anyone doing anything with it anyways, unless they want the $13 in my bank account or some shit.

It's not the money you have, but the money you could borrow. Identity theft is a big problem and and can really screw up your credit for years to come.

[Amy]

You do not need SSN to pull credit. You NEED permission though. I can look at anyones credit off of virtually very little info on them.

 

As for Dish; they are gathering info to use to come after you later, if needed. Many companies try to get it up front so the collections department has info to work with, or the collection company they sell your dept to. Name and last 4 are fine. Most of the time I can find you off of looking at your credit anyway. That's all they are looking to do.

 

 

There is a issue with that though... like example as far as car sales, once you give permission you can really screw yourself. I went to buy a car this year. I was looking at a few different places.. I had my credit pulled at a couple different car dealers, well I was told they wouldn't pull it more than once.. yeah well that didn't work.. in the long run, I ended up loosing out of the BMW I wanted to buy because it had been pulled a million times and was stuck buying the Benz. So always be careful of that too. So when you sign that paper releasing your permission you better read the fine print.

__________________

[Kevin R.]

I am now officially Kevin R. Your $13 is mine!!!!!

 

MUHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH

 

This is trickey. Because I didn't post this.

[Mojoe]

There is a issue with that though... like example as far as car sales, once you give permission you can really screw yourself. I went to buy a car this year. I was looking at a few different places.. I had my credit pulled at a couple different car dealers, well I was told they wouldn't pull it more than once.. yeah well that didn't work.. in the long run, I ended up loosing out of the BMW I wanted to buy because it had been pulled a million times and was stuck buying the Benz. So always be careful of that too. So when you sign that paper releasing your permission you better read the fine print.

__________________

 

 

I know what you went through. You called me 12 times that day asking more and more questions instead of going to the guy I put you in touch with 2 months before that who had the BMW you ended up wanting after talking to everyone else. If you tell someone they can pull your credit at a car dealership, and you are still building your credit. You need to know they are going to keep sending it until someone comes back and says they will finance you. You need to tell them other wise or have your financing established before you go there.

[Amy]

I know what you went through. You called me 12 times that day asking more and more questions instead of going to the guy I put you in touch with 2 months before that who had the BMW you ended up wanting after talking to everyone else. If you tell someone they can pull your credit at a car dealership, and you are still building your credit. You need to know they are going to keep sending it until someone comes back and says they will finance you. You need to tell them other wise or have your financing established before you go there.

 

 

I know I know, I should have listened .. Please don't remind me... Ya, at the time I had no idea they would pull it that many times. Least I've learned we can say.