A free online tool prevents scammers from using your Social Security number to apply for jobs.
We all know to do our best to protect our Social Security numbers from would-be identity thieves. We only give our SSNs to trusted parties, never share them on unsolicited phone calls or emails, and don’t carry our Social Security cards around in our wallets. And yet, constant data breaches are getting the better of us. As just one example, last year, almost 3 billion records, including the Social Security numbers of millions of individuals, were compromised in the National Public Data breach. Odds are, your SSN is out there for sale on the dark web–for cheap.
Accepting that reality, what steps can you take to prevent someone from using your SSN? First, know the risks. Bad actors can use your SSN to:
● Steal money from your bank account
● Apply for disability, employment, and other government benefits in your name
● Set up utility services like heat, water, and Internet and leave you with the bills
● File your tax return and claim a refund
● Open and max out a line of credit in your name
● Impersonate you to receive medical treatment
● Apply for a job in your name
Self Lock from E-Verify
That last one is perhaps the easiest to prevent, thanks to a service called Self Lock from E-Verify. The federal government uses the E-Verify system to verify employment authorization. With a Self Lock activated on your SSN, if someone tries to use your SSN to fraudulently verify their own employment status with a new employer, they’ll be blocked by the system. The service has been available since 2015 in all 50 states, and it’s now gaining more traction with the recent out-of-control rates of data breaches.
If someone is working in your name, you’ll owe taxes to the IRS on their wages–no matter if you have a job or are unemployed or even retired. To avoid the possibility of that mess, it’s worth it to use E-Verify to place a Self Lock on your SSN. Just keep in mind that if you’re applying for new jobs, you’ll need to unlock your SSN in order for employers to verify your eligibility to work.
To set up a Self Lock, go to E-Verify.gov and create an account or sign in. When creating a new account, you’ll need to verify your email
address, set up 2-factor authentication, create 5 security questions, accept terms of service, and correctly answer questions to confirm your identity. According to some sources we researched (here), it’s not the most user-friendly online portal. But the consensus from the Social Security Administration and E-Verify is that it’s worth doing. And unlocking your SSN is not difficult: just log back in and request to lift the Self Lock.
Freeze Your Credit Reports, Too.
Unfortunately, you read that right: Self Lock from E-Verify only helps prevent employment authorization fraud. When identity thieves single out your SSN and other personal details, they have that whole list of other options for stealing your money and ruining your credit.
Thankfully, there’s another tool that will at least prevent thieves from opening new lines of credit in your name. You can freeze your credit reports with all three of the major credit reporting bureaus (TransUnion, Equifax, and Experian) in a matter of a few clicks. When you freeze your credit, no creditors can access your credit reports to approve new lines of credit in your name: credit cards or loans of any kind. That means that you’ll need to unfreeze your report/s when you want to apply for credit. Since you have to freeze each of the three reporting agencies’ reports separately, you can unfreeze them separately, too. If you know which agency a creditor is going to contact, you could unfreeze only that agency’s report.
To freeze your credit, log in or create accounts with each agency. Use these links to navigate directly to the page that lets you freeze your credit with each bureau: TransUnion, Equifax, and Experian.
For other kinds of identity fraud, vigilance is the best defense. Keeping your passwords safe will help protect your accounts, even when your SSN is compromised. You can sometimes save yourself from heartache by monitoring your accounts for suspicious activity and reporting it as soon as possible. And if you do become a victim, it’s important to remember that it’s not your fault. With almost everyone’s SSN floating out in the digital breeze, we only have so much control over preventing identity theft. But tools like Self Lock and credit freezes can help stack the deck in our favor.
