Q & A
Who are you required to give your Social Security Number to?
Answer: Better Business Bureau of Southern Arizona is offering guidelines to clear up confusion about when consumers are legally required to provide a Social Security number – and when they are not. Utilities, financial institutions and private businesses use Social Security numbers for identity verification and filing systems, purposes for which the numbers were never intended. Social Security numbers can be obtained through data breaches, and theft, and online and telephone scams, stolen mail, wallets and purses, unsecured internet sites, business records or papers at home or in the trash. They also can be bought from someone who has access to personal information at a business. A stolen SSn enables a criminal to create a new identity, apply for credit or a mortgage and even use the victim’s identity if arrested.
According to the Social Security Administration (SSA), consumers are obliged to provide their number for tax returns and federal loans, credit applications, government programs, financial institutions, employers and the Department of Motor Vehicles. Social Security numbers are also required to obtain reports through the credit reporting companies. Read more.
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