Searching for people w/their SSN - legal?

Factual Questions
1

I have a couple of old friends I’d like to know the current status of. I have seen websites that offer to look for them. Some say they can do so if I have their social security numbers.

Even if I did have their ssn, would it be legal for the site to search for the person with it? If they can do it, why can’t I? Or can I?

2

Of course it would be. In fact there is a little known service of the SS Admin. As a ONE TIME service they will forward a letter on to the last place of known employment if you know the SS# of the person. They WILL NOT tell you where that person works or even if the letter goes thru but they will do this as a courtesy, ONE TIME, basis.

There is a much better way I will try to find the link. You put in the person’s name and approx b’day and it looks it up. I know it works on Driver’s Licence data 'cause my name came up and the city was a weird little town I lived in temporarily when I got my DL. I haven’t had a DL in 10 years so the info isn’t valid but it works darn good. Every name I could think of came up, it was hard when you had a name like John Smith as you had to go thru a lot of names.

3

sorry for the hijack but thats onlypartially true markxxx.

"We will attempt to forward a letter to a missing person under circumstances involving a matter of great importance, such as a death or serious illness in the missing person’s immediate family, or a sizeable amount of money that is due the missing person. "

i’m not sure they would consider trying to find your buddy a matter of great importantance, even if it is to you. not to mention there is a $25 fee.

4

I’m gonna bump this once to see if any legal types or detectives can shed some light.

5

I’d also like to know the answer to the OP’s question. I grew up thinking the your SSN was some big secret, not to be divulged by anyone but the owner. Now I have heard that it’s called your “national ID number”.
“Hey you, where do you think you’re going. Show me your papers”.
Peace,
mangeorge

6

An illegal, albeit popular method, was obtaining a credit report. Some search companies did just that if you had the SSN and some other info. A credit report has recent adresses.

Most companies that employed this method have been blacklisted by the national credit reporting agencies.