OT: SSN's and ID Theft

Mon Oct 24 06:03:19 PDT 2005

Quoting Fairlight (Sun, 23 Oct 2005 23:10:50 -0400):

[...]
> I remember a longgggg time ago being told that it's actually -illegal-
> for anyone except the Social Security Administration or your employer
> (and only for taxation purposes) to ask for your SSN--you can and should
> refuse any other request as unlawful.

According to IRS form W-9:

  Section 6109 of the Internal Revenue Code requires you to provide your
  correct TIN to persons who must file information returns with the IRS
  to report interest, dividends, and certain other income paid to you,
  mortgage interest you paid, the acquisition or abandonment of secured
  property, cancellation of debt, or contributions you made to an IRA, or
  Archer MSA or HSA. The IRS uses the numbers for identification purposes
  and to help verify the accuracy of your tax return. The IRS may also
  provide this information to the Department of Justice for civil and
  criminal litigation, and to cities, states, and the District of Columbia
  to carry out their tax laws. We may also disclose this information to
  other countries under a tax treaty, to federal and state agencies to
  enforce federal nontax criminal laws, or to federal law enforcement and
  intelligence agencies to combat terrorism.

So, while it's not just the IRS and your employer, you don't have to
supply your SSN to just anyone.

While it may not be illegal to ask for it, they can't require that you
give it to them.

> Please explain to me how this meshes with pretty much every university,
> business, etc., all identify you via your SSN, and we've merrily given
> them that information for years.  It's only recently that Kentucky has
> started phasing out SSN-based driver's license numbers.  I remember
> Wisconsin were always based on SSN through at least 1993.  I can't think
> of a university that -doesn't- use it to ID you.  And somehow nobody has
> a problem with this.

Until recently, nobody's really cared that much, so not too many people
even thought about it.  I do know that universities will give you a
"student ID number" different from your SSN if you ask.

[...]