I think Cecil may owe John an apology. It’s very reasonable to conclude the word “identification” was intended as an ID # and not as away of confirming the identity of the card holder. Why using Social Security numbers for identification is risky and stupid.
It was very clear when SS# were first created that they were not supposed to become a form of national ID.
Yes please. I was stunned when I found I had a bad credit record, then it turned out that the one and only black mark was a bank account opened on a tiny amount and never touched again, by someone who wasn’t me and putting the account in the name of a nonexisting company. The bank evidently hadn’t even tried to verify if that SSN was linked to that name. I’ve opened and closed bank accounts in the US several times and nobody asked to see proof of that SSN, so long as I could rattle it out they were satisfied (one time I encountered someone who didn’t believe foreigners could have SSNs, but that’s a different problem).
My Spanish ID Number gets used all the time (any letter to a government body has to include it, for example), but can’t really be used by itself for anything. Anybody trying to open a bank account linked to a given ID# needs to provide either passport, DNI (nationals ID), NIE (foreigners ID), or the documents proving that they have created and can represent a company with that ID# (this will include the person’s passport, or other passport-equivalent document such as DNI or NIE).
Since 30% of my credit report is fictional, due to scammers, how is this going to work?
You mean “your credit report” is not open to question, but a challenge to it is automatically invalid?
Times are changing. I tried to get a haircut at the “salon” that opened a few months ago. Does anyone NOT pay cash at a barber? But I was asked for my name, address, phone number, and haircutter preference before ever sitting down to wait.
SSN? No, but just wait until next year.
In 50 years at my local barber, he never needed any of this to cut my hair. And he only took cash.
At the “salon”? I walked out. Fuck 'em.
They pick a address that is in your credit report, and three or four random addresses that are not, and ask you to identify the one associated with your credit report.
From what little I’ve seen (and I haven’t seen all that much), they don’t pick an address that has been disputed.
I don’t understand your question. Of course credit reports are open to question; each of the major credit bureaus has a process for disputing information within your report. Or is that not what you mean?
IN this Post 24. you have assigned my words to slash2k and his answer to me.
heavy offence
From there:
Applicants over age 18 now have to present proof of birth and proof of identity, and they also have to apply in person.
What ID does a person need to get the ID to convince them to give one this ID SS/Not-ID ?
Sorry, it was not intentional.
That’s fine. 
Also I would like to say I have heard fine things of Experian, and am sure every credit report etc. they issue is the full truth without mistake.
I’d like to say that.
Not really. Once they have the SSN, it gives them a starting point with which to dig up the other stuff they need, precisely because of the problem noted in the OP (the SSN is linked to too many other things out of simple corporate/government laziness and inertia).
Bond James Bond
1313 Mockingbird Lane
555-867-5309
The Cute Redhead
There, was that so difficult?
I think you’re misunderstanding. Health insurance companies get data from a variety of sources- things like worksite occ health clinics, online wellness questionnaires, and other things where insurance cards aren’t required. So they have to have a way to identify which “Burgundy, Ron 03/12/1947” is which, if there are more than one. So for things like that, an external unique identifier is extremely useful, and the SSN fits the bill very well. It’s very likely that they use their own subscriber ID for everything they do; it’s a lot more ironclad than trying to match stuff up from external sources. Another reason they have external IDs is for temporal separation- if you’re a subscriber 10 years ago, and then get a new job with different insurance for 10 years, and then your company switches back, they’ll want to match you up with your old record, and unless you happen to remember your subscriber ID from a decade ago, something like your SSN will be very useful.
And really… having the SSN included is the least of a company’s worries if they get hacked like Anthem did. They have all sorts of PII and PHI that they could lose, and SSN is just one single piece of that pie.
And the last 4 of the SSN isn’t expected to be secret; if there are 300 million people in the US, and we have 10000 possible 4 digit codes (probably less; not sure of the exact rules), that means that something like 30,000 people share each one of those 4 digit codes. More or less. The bigger point is that if there are 5 people named “Ron Burgundy 03/12/1947”, it’s unlikely (but not impossible) that any of them will share the same last-4 of the SSN. It’s one more thing that they can use to make sure that you are you, WITHOUT actually requiring anything secret. If anything, it’s explicitly NOT secret.
To get a driver’s license/state identity in most US states you have to present a birth certificate and proof of residence (mortgage/utility bill, etc.)
Good thing birth certificates aren’t handed out to just anyone then.
No. But a Social Security card is quite literally just a bit of blue card stock. You could just about make a convincing fake with a typewriter and a pencil. The important thing is not the card, but the number. You can do a surprising amount with just a name and an SSN, and even more with a date of birth.
Part of the problem is the stupidity of companies. Where I work we had firm and in my opinion better secured policies.
Our new comptroller came in and decided she had to be able to work form home and rearranged everything so she doesn’t ever have to come in. Without going into details, I’ve pointed out many times, at this point no one knows what she has access to and should she quit, get fired or die, we have a mess.
The owners are “it’s never been a problem before.” First we never had it before and second, it’s the old “It’s never a problem till it becomes one.” And most companies I’ve seen tend to be that way.
But as was pointed out to me, “If that happens it’s not my problem.” So what are you gonna do right?