A person who steals your social security number could use it to open bank accounts in your name, steal your allowances, file your tax return and commit other types of fraud. Your social security number is related to your identity in the United States. Without it, you cannot identify yourself to get a job and receive benefits. A threat maker may use your social security number for malicious purposes, such as stealing your benefits or committing crimes under your name.
Read on to learn more about the importance of your social security number, how someone can steal it, what they can do, how you can know that someone has stolen it and how you can protect them from theft.
Why your social security number is important
Your social security number (SNS) is a nine-digit numeric identifier assigned to U.S. citizens and residents to track their income and determine benefits. People need to protect their NSS to avoid identity theft.
Identity theft is used when someone steals and uses your Personally Identifiable Information (PII) without your permission to commit fraud. A threat writer can apply for loans on your behalf, receive medical care and steal your financial benefits. This can have long-lasting consequences such as a deterioration in credit, debt, financial loss, a ruined reputation and a possible criminal record. If someone steals your NSS, you may find it difficult to prove your identity in the future and waste your life.
How someone can steal your social security number
If you are not careful, a malicious actor can steal your social security number and impersonate the usurpation. Here’s how someone can steal your number
Data breaches
Social security number Data breach is used when sensitive information from a company is consulted, stolen or used by unauthorised persons. Data breaches often occur when companies leak sensitive information. These leaks are either accidental or the result of a targeted cyber attack. Cybercriminals exploit security flaws to gain unauthorized access to a company’s systems and steal sensitive data. If your SSN has been exposed to a public data breach, cybercriminals can access it and use it for malicious purposes.
Phishing
Phishing is a type of social engineering attack that attempts to encourage users to give their personal information, including their NSS. Cybercriminals tend to pretend to be official companies, such as a company or government agency, to solicit a victim’s SSN.
Cybercriminals send emails or text messages containing attachments or malicious links that users need to click on. If the user clicks on the malicious link, he will accidentally download malicious software to his device or will be directed to a usurped website. On usurped websites, users are invited to provide their personal information.
Attacks of the man-in-the-middle type
Man-in-the-Middle (MITM) attacks are a type of cyber attack in which cybercriminals intercept data transmitted over an unencrypted Wi-Fi network. Cybercriminals act as intermediaries between two parties exchanging information, allowing them to listen, steal or modify data. They rely on public or fabricated WiFi networks that are not encrypted and allow cybercriminals to control Internet traffic. It is enough for a user to send his social security number over an unencrypted WiFi network for cybercriminals to see and steal it.
Steal physical documents with your social security number
Some threat writers will try to obtain physical documents containing your social security number. Some will even go so far as to search your garbage cans to find sensitive documents thrown away inappropriately. Other criminals will steal wallets and handbags that may contain your social security card and other important documents, including your driving licence, bank card, passport and other identity documents.
What can you do with your social security number
Once a cybercriminal has stolen your social security number, they can use it to commit different types of fraud. Here’s what you can do with your social security number.
Open bank and credit accounts in your name
To open a bank account in your name, you must provide your NSS, address and date of birth. If a threat writer has all these IIPs, they can use them to open a bank account in your name. Threats can also apply for bank cards and loans in your name. They will make maximum use of the credit limit for these accounts and will not pay the invoices. You will then end up with large debts and your credit will suffer.
Empty your bank account
Threats can use your NSS and bank account information to access your bank account and steal your money. They can use payment methods such as ‘Selle’, Venmo or CashApp to easily transfer your money from your account to theirs without leaving any trace.
Receiving and stealing benefits
Your SSN allows you to benefit from benefits such as medical services, disability, retirement income and unemployment. Your SSN is a form of identification that allows you to access these benefits. Threats can use your NSS to receive medical services on your behalf or steal your benefits.
This may be a problem for you in the future when you try to access your services. If you try to receive medical treatment, your medical record may be affected. Your financial benefits can be exhausted when you try to access them.
Setting up public services
Threats can use your PII, such as your SSN, to open or improve public services in your name. They can set up public services such as water, gas, electricity, the Internet, telephone and cable. You may not know that someone is receiving public services on your behalf until you find out the unpaid bills.
Commiting offences that will appear in your criminal record
If someone steals your NSS and commits a crime, they can avoid criminal liability by using your name and SSN when law enforcement agencies ask them to identify themselves. The perpetrator of the threat can then escape the crime and leave you with a criminal record. A criminal record may prevent you from applying for jobs that require a background check and tarnish your reputation.
Submitting your tax return
You need your NSS to declare your taxes, as required by the IRS. When you declare your taxes, you can get a refund. If a threat maker steals your SSN, he can file your tax return to claim a fraudulent refund.
A fraudulent tax return is a problem when you try to file your tax return and you are refused on the grounds that it has been duplicated. This can also cause problems for your employer who puts money aside for tax purposes. It sometimes takes months to solve the problem and the relationship between you and your employer, as well as between you and the tax authorities, is getting it worsened.
How to protect your social security number from theft
Threats are constantly trying to steal your social security number to commit identity theft and other types of fraud. You must protect your social security number by taking the following measures.
Keep your social security card and documents in a secure place
Never keep your social security card with you in your wallet, as you can easily lose it. Keep your social security card and any other documents containing your social security number in a secure place, such as a safe. If you need to dispose of documents containing your NSS, tear them apart in order to prevent threats from searching your garbage cans and stealing your NSS.
Do not provide your social security number unsecurely
Communicate your NSS only to report taxesimpôts, start a new job, obtain your driver’s license, apply for government benefits, apply for a loan or loan, or make a cash transaction of 10,000 dollars or more. If you receive an unsolicited message asking you for your NSS, do not give it.
If you need to share your social security number SSN in digital form, use a password manager. A password manager is a tool that securely stores and manages your personal information, such as your login details, bank card information and SSN, in an encrypted safe. Password managers are protected by several levels of encryption and are only accessible with a strong main password. When you send sensitive data with a password manager, it encrypts data to prevent cybercriminals from intercepting and stealing it.
Protect your online accounts with strong passwords
Protect your online accounts with access to your SSN using strong and unique passwords. If you use strong passwords, cybercriminals will find it difficult to crack them and compromise your accounts. A strong password is a unique and random combination of upper case and lower case letters, digits and special characters with a length of at least 16 characters. It contains no personal information, no series of numbers or sequential letters, or commonly used words in the dictionary.
Activate the AFA on your accounts whenever possible
Multi-factor authentication (MFA) is a security protocol that requires users to provide additional authentication. When the MFA is activated, users must provide their login details as well as an additional form of identification to access sensitive accounts or data.
The MFA adds an additional layer of security to your sensitive data and ensures that only authorized users have access to your accounts. Even if your login credentials are compromised, cybercriminals will not be able to access your accounts because they will not be able to provide additional authentication. To protect your NSS, you must activate the AFA on your accounts with access to it.
Learn to recognize the signs of phishing
Cybercriminals often try to get you to give your SSN through phishing attacks. To protect your NSS, you need to learn to recognise the signs of a phishing scam. Here are some common indicators of a phishing scam:
- Warning from the e-mail service provider
- Emergency Vocabulary
- Threats of disastrous consequences
- Misphotos of spelling and grammar
- Unsolicited attachments or links
- Requests for personal information
- Divergences in e-mail address and domain name
If you notice any of these signs, avoid interacting with these messages. However, you can contact your bank and other companies directly if you are not sure about the legitimacy of a message.
How Keeper protects your social security number
The best way to protect your online social security number is to store it in a password manager. A password manager stores your social security number in an encrypted safe that can only be accessed with a master password. It also tells your social security number if you have to send it to other people. Thanks to password managers, unauthorized users cannot access your social security number online.
Keeper Password Manager uses zero-Knowledge encryption to protect your sensitive data from threats. Keeper’s One-Time Share feature allows you to securely share your social security number and other sensitive information for a limited time. Sign up for a free trial to protect your social security number from cyber criminals.
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