Trust no one, the SSN edition

Speaking of social security cards...

There's always a difficulty in tracking down Social Security Number-related identity theft, as Phil Kadner points out:

Notified that someone had used my Social Security number in an attempt to get a credit card, I telephoned one of the big three credit rating agencies.

“What is your Social Security number?” the woman on the other end of the telephone asked.

I am apparently a victim of identity theft and I’m sure you can understand why I am reluctant to give our that sort of information, I replied.

“I do, sir,” the woman said. “May I please have your Social Security number?”

I don’t think so.

“This is a credit rating agency, sir. We deal with this sort of thing all of the time. We need your Social Security number to put a fraud alert on your account.”

You may have worked at the credit rating agency for 20 years, or 20 days, I replied. But you might leave tomorrow and take my Social Security number with you.

“Sir, do you want us to help or not?”

At the end of the day, the person talking to Kadner was legitimate, and his personal information was not illegally shared.

Or at least we don't think it was.