Is Your Social Security Number Safe?

What Can Scammers Do With Your SSN?

When it comes to your digital identity, your SSN is of the highest importance.
Understanding the host of harmful activities scammers can do with it is crucial in understanding what you should do to protect it. Now, more than ever, as we continue to dive deeper into the digital world, is the right time to protect yourself and your family. Below are a few of the most common threats we face every day, and maybe aren’t even aware of.

Opening new accounts or taking out loans

Imagine you’re in desperate need of financing for a new vehicle. It’s not what you had planned on, but life happens, and your credit is tip-top, you can afford a reasonable monthly payment, so off you go. Only to find out when they run your credit, you have a loan you never applied for and it’s 6 months behind in payments. Your credit has dropped drastically. You’re being denied financing.

In most states, you will not be held liable for this debt, however, it could take months for your credit to recover.

Emptying your bank account

We all have mouths to feed and bills to pay. You stand absorbed in confusion when your debit card is declined at the checkout. You tell the cashier to run it again. Declined, again. The kids are getting anxious, and the line is piling up behind you.

Against your standard practice, you purchase the order on credit and tell yourself you’ll deal with this when you get home. You call the bank, and all your money is gone. Vanished, without a trace.

You will get the money back, but it won’t be today, or even tomorrow. Best case scenario, 7-10 business days. Worst case, 90 business days. Knowing you have $0.00 for a minimum of 7-10 business days and up to potentially 90 is scary!

Committing crimes that will be on your record.

Did you know that scammers can use your SSN to commit a wide variety of fraudulent crimes such as:

• Opening fraudulent bank accounts
• Filing false tax returns
• Receive medical care under your name
• Apply for loans
• Steal government benefits
• Obtain utilities in your name
• Employment fraud

This is just scratching the surface of the damage that can be caused if your SSN ends up in the wrong hands.

The time is now to protect yourself and your family, to safeguard against scammers.
The United States leads the world with the most scam victims per year.

Don’t become a statistic, protect yourself now!