Lost or Stolen Social Security Card? Here’s Advice You Need

Posts Tagged ‘social security number’

Lost or Stolen Social Security Card? Here’s Advice You Need

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If you’ve lost your Social Security card or maybe even had your Social Security number stolen, this is a very serious issue, because it could make you a victim of identity theft.

The Federal Trade Commission says that identity theft strikes about 10 million Americans every single year. And the risks of identity theft are huge.

If somebody has your Social Security card, they can do all kinds of things. They can try to get a job, believe it or not, and secure employment in your name. They could try to get a tax refund check and maybe file taxes using your Social Security number, ultimately even taking away a refund check that might be due to you.

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My Child’s Social Security Number Has Been Used–What Should I Do?

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Author: The Money Coach

Even though children don’t have any bank accounts, credit cards or other lines of credit where they have shared their social security number, they are still at risk for having their SSN stolen or abused. Identity thieves often resort to purchasing newly issued social security numbers or seek out numbers that are inactive because these are likely assigned to a minor. In many cases, you won’t even know that the number was being used by someone else until the child is ready to open a bank account or apply for a credit card in their name. If you do come to find out that your child’s social security number has been swiped by an identity thief, here’s what you need to do:

File a formal complaint with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). You will need to file an Identity Theft Complaint with the FTC’s Identity Theft Clearinghouse so that they can investigate what happened. You can call the FTC at 1-877-438-4338 or send your Identity Theft Complaint to: Identity Theft Clearinghouse, Federal Trade Commission, 600 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., Washington D.C. 20580. You can also submit a complaint online on the Federal Trade Commission’s Complaint site.
File a police report. When someone uses your child’s social security number, they are committing a form of identity theft. You can file an official Identity Theft Report with the police department so that they can begin an investigation.
Report the incident to the national credit reporting agencies. You will need to contact each of the three credit reporting agencies — Experian, Equifax and TransUnion – to inform them that the social security of a minor was used by someone else. Call Experian at 1-888-397-3742, Equifax at 1-800-525-6285 and TransUnion at 1-800-680-7289. The credit reporting agencies may ask you to send a copy of the police report and Identity Theft Complaint you have already submitted elsewhere.
Cancel all open accounts. If you learn about any accounts that have been opened using your child’s social security number, you’ll need to find the contact information for each company and proceed to close the account. Let them know that the account was opened by someone else and that you have already filed a complaint with the FTC and/or police department.
Consider enrolling in a credit monitoring service. Once all complaints and reports have been filed, and you are sure that all accounts have been closed, consider enrolling in a credit monitoring service so that you receive alerts of any suspicious activity with your child’s social security number in the future. Credit monitoring services can make it easier to detect fraud and put a stop to it at soon as possible.

Someone Stole My SSN To File Taxes. What Should I Do?

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Author: The Money Coach

Q: I filed for my taxes on Turbo Tax I got a message saying that my social security number has been used and one of my dependents. Can I ever find out who did it? What if their using numbers in other places? Will I get my refund?

A: If someone has used your Social Security number (or your children’s social security numbers) to file an income tax return, you need to alert the authorities as soon as possible and advise them that you have been the victim of identity theft.

Start by filling out IRS Form 14039, an Identity Theft Affidavit, which tells the the IRS that someone has already fraudulently used your Social Security number – or that you suspect you may be a potential victim of fraud. This Form 14039 lets you advise the IRS of any incidents that are currently impacting your taxes, as well as any incidents that could impact your taxes in the future.

To prove that you are who you say you are, you’ll have to submit to the IRS documentation such as a passport, driver’s license, social security card, or another federal or state-issued government ID card.

Send these documents via mail or fax:

Mailing address:
Internal Revenue Service
P.O. Box 9039
Andover, MA 01810-0939

FAX: (Not toll-free)
1-978-247-9965

Since the IRS is accustomed to seeing these kinds of scams, the IRS actually has a dedicated division to dealing with cases where someone has stolen another person’s social security number and used it to file an income tax return. The IRS department to call for help is the IRS Identity Protection Specialized Unit, toll free at 800-908-4490.

To deal with this issue of someone stealing your social security number or falsely filing taxes in your name, you should also put a credit freeze and a credit alert on your credit reports.

Lastly, if your purse or wallet was stolen or someone seems to have misappropriated your personal data – such as your social security card/number, or driver’s license, etc. – you need to immediately file a police report with your local police department.

Hopefully, who ever did this will be caught. If you know who did it, and it was a family member or a friend, I would confront that person and issue this ultimatum. This is especially helpful advice for anyone whose credit has been wrecked by a relative who committed identity theft.

Unfortunately, most people are mostly in the dark — at least at first — about their social security being misused. The way most people ultimately find out about someone else using their social security number is when an individual files his or her taxes, and gets a notice or letter from the IRS indicating that a tax return has already been filed or stating that you received wages from some employer that you never had. Any such letter is a big red flag that you’ve probably been the victim of identity theft.

Do take the steps outlined above because someone fraudulently using your social security number could get a tax refund check, block you from getting your own taxes filed in a timely manner (potentially holding up or preventing you from getting a legitimate refund). Additionally, the identity thief could get anything from credit and loans to a job or government benefits using your name and/or social security number. So shut down that fraud ASAP!

Someone is Using My Social Security Number – What Should I Do?

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Author: The Money Coach

If you recently had your Social Security card stolen or an identity thief had access to your Social Security number, someone could be using your Social Security number for a variety of purposes. Using someone else’s Social Security number is illegal but thousands of people become the victims of identity theft after losing their Social Security card or when the privacy of sensitive documents and online activities has been compromised. If you detect suspicious behavior on your credit card statements or credit report, someone could be using your Social Security number for their own benefit.

Steps to Take When Someone is Using Your SSN

The Social Security Administration recommends taking the following steps when you think someone is using your number:

Report the issue to the Social Security Administration. Call the SSA toll-free at 1-800-772-1213 to file an official report and get a recommendation on what to do next. The SSA may determine whether they need to issue you a new number or card, or if the incident will be forwarded to law enforcement or regulatory agencies.
Resolve credit problems by contacting the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). The FTC is dedicated to fighting back against identity theft and provides a number of resources for identity theft victims. You can call the FTC directly at 1-877-IDTHEFT and learn more about your options by reviewing the materials on the FTC Identity Theft website.
Contact your banks and credit card companies to report the issue. Let your banks and creditors know that someone is using your card and that you are concerned about the thief having access to your accounts. The bank or credit card company may be able to put a “credit freeze” on your account until the issue has been resolved. They may also be on the alert for any suspicious activity and let you know if and when they detect something.

How Someone Can Use Your Social Security Number

There are several reasons why someone may want to use another’s Social Security number. These include:

To gain employment where they may have been previously denied, or if they are not legally permitted to work in the United States
To open up credit card accounts in your name and have access to your new credit line
To access your current credit card or bank accounts
To access your credit report and steal your identity completely
For tax purposes

Taking action the moment you learn that someone is using your SSN can reduce the risk of serious financial and identity problems in the future. Use the tips above to reduce the impact of identity theft and fraud.

Ask The Money Coach

Posts Tagged ‘social security number’