What happens if a scammer has your social security number

A Social Security number (SSN) may be the single most important piece of government-issued identification that a resident of the United States can have. 

It's definitely the most valuable piece of ID that identity thieves can get their hands on — especially when the number is combined with the rightful bearer's name and address. 

Even just by itself, a valid Social Security number can be illegally sold to people who can't otherwise get one, such as undocumented workers or to people trying to hide their true identities. (Here's more on how to protect your Social Security number.)

A stolen SSN lets the thief, or the person he or she sells it to, do almost everything a legitimate SSN holder can do — and more. 

By assuming a real person's name and SSN, a thief can steal property and money from that person. If your name and SSN are used by criminals, the police will come looking for you, not the actual crooks.

"You can close a credit card if it is compromised," said Adam Dolby, senior manager of Alkami Technology. "But the problem is, you can't close your SSN."

If you discover your Social Security number has been stolen or otherwise misused by another person, there are several steps you'll need to take right away. (Click here for more tips on how to manage identity theft.)

To speak to Equifax, call its customer care number at 1-888-766-0008 or visit this web page (opens in new tab) to place a fraud alert. To start an Equifax credit freeze online, you'll have to create an Equifax account, but you can do so without creating an account by calling 1-800-349-9960.

To contact Experian, call 1-888-397-3742 or go here (opens in new tab) for a fraud alert or here (opens in new tab) for a credit freeze. For TransUnion, the phone number is 1-800-680-7289; the fraud-alert link is here (opens in new tab) and the credit-freeze link is here (opens in new tab). 

A credit freeze can be inconvenient, but it's the better option. With a freeze, no potential lender can access your credit file without your approval. That can be a bother if you plan to move, open a new bank account, buy a car or switch phone carriers, but you can easily "unfreeze" your credit and then freeze it again. The freeze lasts indefinitely.

Thanks to a 2018 law, credit freezes are now free to implement, but you must contact each of the Big Three credit-reporting agencies separately to set them up. 

Fraud alerts are easier to place — the agency you place one with will contact the other two — but they aren't as useful. A fraud alert just requests that anyone pulling your credit file contact you first, but they don't actually have to. (Here's more about the difference between a fraud alert and a credit freeze.)

You can renew a fraud alert every year (it's free to do so). Contact the Social Security Administration only to get a replacement card or replacement number (see below).

Tell each of the three agencies that your SSN has been stolen.

They'll give you free copies of your current credit reports. Review those reports for unfamiliar accounts and unknown inquiries from companies.

You can also call 1-800-908-4490. That will prevent tax-fraud thieves from filing tax returns in your name — and collecting your tax refund.

Report the identity theft to the Federal Trade Commission at http://www.identitytheft.gov (opens in new tab).

You can also call 1-877-IDTHEFT.

File an identity-theft report with your local police.

The police report will help clear your records and your name. The report is necessary to have if you want to apply for a new Social Security number.

This will keep your credit as clean as possible. The only way to get a new SSN from the government is to prove without a doubt that someone has used the old number. Records of fraudulent accounts can provide that evidence.

The report will be distributed to the relevant federal, state and local authorities.

The Federal Trade Commission offers a good resource on what to do in case of identity theft at http://www.consumer.ftc.gov/features/feature-0014-identity-theft (opens in new tab).

Whether and how to get a new Social Security number

Many stolen Social Security numbers are used simply to gain employment, with no detrimental effect to the legitimate holders of the SSN. But others are used to defraud banks, retailers, the IRS and other government agencies, which could trash your credit.

If several years pass after the theft of your Social Security number, and the problems arising from the theft have not gotten any better, then you may want to apply for a new SSN. But before you take that step, there are several things to consider.

You have to prove that the theft of your SSN has caused you serious hardship in the form of denied home mortgages, problems with law enforcement or the IRS, or bad credit that can't be cleaned up.

The old number will remain valid; you will have to keep monitoring it for future incidents, and government agencies or businesses will still link you to it.

Getting credit will be difficult for a few years — unless you link the new Social Security number to your old, tainted number.

If the agency doesn't think you need a new one, you won't get one.

If you do decide to get a new Social Security number, the first step is as easy as filling out a standard SSN application form (opens in new tab). You'll enter the old number on it. But be prepared to plead your case, and to have ample documentation to prove it.

Don't forget that the old Social Security number never completely goes away, even if it goes dormant. The Social Security Administration never invalidates an SSN once it's been issued.

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