What info can you get with a social security number

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However, the area number cannot be used to determine residence since you can have mail sent to any location. The middle section of numbers is simply there to make administration easier for the SSA. The group number ranges from 01 to 99 and allows Social Security Numbers with the same area number to be broken into smaller pairings. Geographic data is not indicated by the group number.

The serial number ranges from to and is assigned consecutively within each group number. As you can see, your social security number does not expressly say anything about you. Even the area number, which was tied to a location for 76 years, cannot be used to accurately pinpoint a residence. They use a background check.

Employers wishing to follow safe and prudent hiring practices are more and more often choosing to run pre-employment background screenings on potential new hires. Unfortunately, it could take years for the fraudulent information to be removed from your credit report and, as a result, for your credit scores to recover.

Someone using your Social Security number could also undergo medical treatment, effectively tainting your medical records. Inaccurate medical records can have deadly consequences — for example, imagine what could happen if you received treatment based on a false history listing the wrong blood type.

Taxpayer identity theft is a growing problem. Identity thieves use stolen Social Security numbers to get a fraudulent refund, which then delays any refund the victim is rightfully owed. Their criminal record could prevent you from getting jobs or interfere with anything else that requires a criminal background check. A thief could also use your Social Security number to file for unemployment or Social Security benefits, depleting those resources and preventing you from accessing that assistance when you need it later on.

Thieves can operate under your identity for years without discovery, and some of these crimes are very difficult to detect.