Changing SS number

[Raoul]

Actually it IS possible to change social security number, but extremely difficult and cumbersome.

I have worked with a student loan organization and one of the cases we were required to accommodate was a person changing SS number.

in fact, in conversation with a colleague who has had his tax refund fraudulently stolen for the past three years by identity thieves, he told me that that was his next step to attempt to solve the issue. I suspect it will become an increasingly likely fallout of the continued mis-use of SS numbers by private companies (who fail to protect this info)

Continuing the discussion from TSA threatens to stop accepting driver's licenses from nine states as of Jan 10:

@William_Holz

@popobawa4u

I say that ID cards are generally a bad idea, or at least, they need to be democratized. People are able to explain who they are, and no one is owed any explanation beyond that. You are your “ID”.

Why would having them available be a bad idea?

We need some kind of ID card to interact with most aspects of society (get a job, etc.) and right now the only universal one is the Social Security Number, which we rely on for all the wrong things (and it’s not like you can change that number when a stalker gets ahold of it).

In many situations they’re also useful so that people can know who you’re not (homes for battered women, etc.)

I agree that we should have a level of civility owed to us even without the existence of an ID, but that’s a civil rights issue that’s far beyond the scope of a freely available trustworthy source of identification.

[William_Holz]

You’re right! I didn’t realize that until after the post, and when I brought up changing mine about twenty years ago I was told it wasn’t an option…but…it’s been a while, eh?

[Boundegar]

As the frequency and severity of identity theft increases, so will the incidence of people needing to change Social Security numbers. Soon, they will be nagging us to change them every six months.

[nothingfuture]

Changing a SS is possible, but difficult and troublesome-
For example it’s my understanding that when you change your SS, your credit ratings don’t follow you. So you end up an adult (presumably) with NO credit- which is a difficult thing, given how many seemingly ordinary things require a credit check.
I’m not sure the SS-as-a-lifetime-identifier model is sustainable anymore- but I’ve no idea what could reasonably replace it…

[popobawa4u]

@nothingfuture

So you end up an adult (presumably) with NO credit- which is a difficult thing, given how many seemingly ordinary things require a credit check.

This is what happened with me after I got married! I allowed credit checks a few times, and people often complained about the lack of information. Now that I am divorced, my credit has been destroyed! Weee!