Quote:
Originally Posted by scrapple
I can't believe how everything in Fl is run on SS#'s. It's such an easy mark for identity theft. I realize that once in the computer it's probably encrypted but in the meantime who knows what is done with the #, what scrap of paper it's written on, etc. I'm used to giving out only the last 4 digits, state ID and maybe date of birth for verification purposes. Sorry for venting, but I feel vulnerable.
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The SSN's are the most common way to ID someone - and because of that those numbers do get thrown all over the place.
I am cautious when I give out the number, and like you hope the encryption works and those scraps of paper get shredded. So far so good.
Like door locks only keep out the honest thieves, shredding and encryption probably only keep out the ones without the determination to get the SSN. I once had a co-worker challenge me to find out their age. They claimed they kept it private - but they issued me the challenge. A few days later I handed them a sealed envelope, date of birth and place of birth. (And I got to date the secretary from Human Resources as a side benefit. A couple of drinks and I got lucky - date and place of birth. - What were you thinking??)
When I was in the Air Force we were assigned a unique AF ID number. One day we were told, forget that number, we're switching to Social Security numbers. I disobeyed that order, I can still remember the number.