Consumer Reports Poll Finds 89% of Americans Want Lawmakers to Restrict the Use of SSNs Posted by Michelle at 09/06/07 01:53 PM

If you've been concerned about the widespread use of your SSN, you're not alone. A recent Consumer Reports Poll has found that 89 Percent of Americans Want Lawmakers to Restrict the Use of Social Security Numbers, and that Americans are routinely asked for Social Security Numbers by businesses
and government agencies, fueling concerns about identity theft.

Some more interesting findings:

Social Security numbers are used by businesses to identify and authenticate the identity of individuals and can be easily found on the Internet, in public records, on identification cards, and in mail sent to consumers. The poll results confirm that solicitation and use of Social Security numbers is widespread:

• In the past year, 60 percent of consumers have been asked by a financial institution or retailer issuing credit to provide their Social Security number, while 49 percent have been asked to disclose their number to
health care providers.

• Consumers also reported being asked to provide their Social Security number in the past year to a wide variety of other entities, including: employers or potential employers (44%); insurance companies (36%); government agencies other than the IRS or a state tax body (32%); college or other school (28%); service provider such as cable TV or cell phone carrier (26%); utilities (17%), and merchant or retailer (16%).

• More than four in ten Americans (42%) have been asked to provide their full or partial Social Security number on the phone or internet to access goods or services or to verify their identity to customer service representatives.

• One in seven Americans (14%) reported that they received postal mail (other than tax documents) bearing their own or a family member’s Social Security number in the past year.

• Fifty two percent of Americans carry a card in their wallets that has their number on it.

The poll also found that 68 percent of Americans agreed that they should be given the ability to freeze access to their credit files at no charge to stop new accounts from being opened unless they unlock the credit file with a PIN. Outside the event of a data security breach, 97 percent of Americans want the ability to freeze access to credit files to prevent thieves from opening fraudulent accounts. And only 12 percent preferred free credit monitoring when Social Security numbers have been involved in breaches, which is the remedy often provided by companies that fail to keep sensitive files protected.

Congress has introduced legislation restricting the widespread use of SSNs.
Urge your legislators to put an end to the unnecessary collection and use of Social Security Numbers, make sure that you find out when your personal information has been lost or stolen by a business or governmental agency, and make sure you have the right to use a security freeze, to lock out identity thieves from using your credit file to open new accounts!

Read Consumers Union September 6, 2007 press release
Read Consumers Union's comments to the Federal Trade Commission on the poll's results

comments (4)

1 Posted by Nanette Alexander at 09/13/07 09:32 PM

Since A T & T phone company has become a corporate giant again, consumers need for this company be regulated to never collect or ask for social security numbers.

2 Posted by Janice at 09/25/07 02:23 PM

The first time I went to Blockbuster to rent a movie, I, like everyone else who rents there, had to get a membership card. On the application, they asked for my SSN. "Hmmm," I asked, "Why on earth does a video rental place need my SSN?" They said it was so that they could find me if I moved. That seemed like a silly reason. Anyway, I told them they certainly didn't need my SSN and they told me that I couldn't rent from them unless I gave it to them. To this day, I still don't go to Blockbuster. I don't know if they chose to change taat rule or not but, that's my example of unnecessary SSN collection from retailers.

3 Posted by Karen Dean at 09/27/07 09:46 PM

I agree that our Social Security numbers are being used way too often and in very unnecessary situations.

4 Posted by Dianne Sahakian at 08/28/08 12:35 PM

I don't think all businesses you deal with, credit agencies, hospitals doctors should need to should need to know your social security number to Identify you so someone can steal your identity as it has happenedto many. If they need a number to identify you what ever business or agency should provide you with their own number to ID you by. This way it would make it much harder fo someone to steal your identity. The only one you should have yo give you Social security number to ahould be for the social security business or for income tax purposes.