So you know that identity thieves can get people’s Social Security numbers through careless treatment of Social Security cards, phishing attacks and data breaches. But did you ever consider the fact that sometimes thieves can just guess? It did to some Carnegie Mellon University researchers. These researchers determined that if someone knows a person’s birthplace and birth date that is often enough information for them to figure out those crucial nine digits.
They created an algorithm which allowed them to correctly guess the Social Security numbers for 8.5 percent of the people in their sample born in 1988 or more recently. It worked because these numbers are often assigned in order, and the first three have to do with birth location.
While 8.5 percent may seem like a low number, it’s not — considering there are several million people with Social Security numbers prime for the taking. The risk can be greater for people who live in smaller states, where there are fewer different number codes assigned.
Make Lassiter, a spokesman for the Social Security Administration who was informed of the results of the experiment, said that the agency is looking into assigning numbers randomly as soon as next year to eliminate the risk of thieves profiting from the current process. Unfortunately, this does not help individuals who are worried about their numbers right now.
With a valid Social Security number, it’s fairly easy for a skilled identity thief to:
*Open fraudulent accounts
*Make fake checks and identification
*Get credit in another person’s name
*Obtain healthcare using another person’s insurance
You may think the best thing you can do in this situation is change your Social Security number, but this can be a long and arduous process and the Social Security Administration does not condone it, even for those that have been victimized by identity thieves. A better thing to do at this point in time is to start seriously considering identity theft protection services.
In the event that a thief gains access to your Social Security number, through whatever means, you can find out right away if he or she tries to open an account or otherwise obtain credit in your name. Then you can cancel the account and get the authorities on the case before serious damage is done to your credit.
Some people don’t find out that they have been victimized for many, many months. By then it is often too late to restore their good names for quite some time. Becoming a victim can sometimes be a random process, where your good behavior and close watch on your personal information has absolutely nothing to do with whether it happens to you or not.
It’s better to assume that you will be victimized than to assume that you won’t, just for the simple reason that you will then be prepared and have an identity protection plan in place, instead of being caught off guard by completely unexpected circumstances.