How to Find Out How My Social Security Number Was Used

Your social security number is private information and must be safeguarded in all situations. The nine-digit number uniquely identifies American citizens and others lawfully permitted to work or attend school in the United States. A person with malicious intentions can obtain your social security number and steal your identity for the purposes of material gain, making you personally liable. Safeguard your identity by keeping your social security number private and by periodically checking how the number is being used.

Instructions

1

Call the Social Security Administration at 1-800-772-1213 and ask them to review your employer earnings on file. Alternatively, review your Social Security Statement (Form SSA-7005) and verify the listed earnings are correct. If someone has used your social security number to obtain a job, the earnings on your statement will be inconsistent.

2

Call one of the three national credit reporting agencies, TransUnion, Equifax or Experian, and initiate a "fraud alert." By law, the agency you contact will inform the other two of the alert, according to the Federal Trade Commission.

3

Order a credit report from all of the national credit reporting agencies. It's possible that one agency will have data the others do not. Obtaining a report from all three delivers a complete set of data.

4

Review your credit reports for accuracy. Pay close attention to the accounts section and verify that you are responsible for all credit accounts, collections and credit checks.