What to Do if Someone Has Your Social Security Number

If someone has your Social Security number, find out what else was exposed, freeze your credit or place a fraud alert, and check your credit reports and accounts for signs of misuse. An exposed SSN doesn't automatically mean your identity has been stolen. What matters is who has it, what else they know about you and whether there's evidence they're using it.

Your SSN is one of the most sensitive pieces of personal information you have, so taking an exposure seriously is reasonable. Here's what someone can do with it and the practical steps that reduce the risk.

What can someone do with your SSN?

Your Social Security number can be part of an identity theft attempt. Identity thieves may use personal information like an SSN to open new credit accounts, get utility services, get a job, receive medical care or steal a tax refund. They may also combine it with your name, date of birth, address or financial details.

For example, someone could try to use your SSN to:

• Apply for credit or other financial products in your name
• Open utility or phone accounts
• Commit tax-related identity theft
• Get a job using your identity
• Get into services that use your personal information for verification
• Make impersonation attempts more convincing

An SSN isn't a universal password. Knowing the number alone doesn't give anyone automatic access to your bank account, email or other accounts. The risk grows when it's combined with other personal information.

What happens if your Social Security number is stolen?

There are two different situations, and they call for different responses:

Table: Exposure vs. misuse of your Social Security number.

If your SSN was in a data breach, you may know it's in someone else's hands without any evidence of fraud. That's exposure, and it's where most people start.

What to do if your SSN is compromised

1. Find out what was exposed

Start by working out what actually happened.

If a company told you your information was in a data breach, read the notice carefully. It should say what categories of information were involved and may explain what protection the company is offering.

If you gave your SSN to a scammer, think about what else you shared. Your date of birth? Your address, driver's license details or bank details? Account passwords or security codes? The more that was exposed, the broader your response needs to be.

The FTC recommends using the IdentityTheft.gov data breach guidance when your SSN has been exposed and you're worried about identity theft.

2. Freeze your credit or place a fraud alert

Both make new-account fraud harder, in different ways:

Table: Credit freeze vs. fraud alert.

You don't have to wait for someone to use your SSN before you freeze your credit. A freeze is a sensible precaution after an exposure. It doesn't stop every form of identity theft, though: it mainly restricts access to your credit report and makes some kinds of new-account fraud harder.

3. Check your credit reports and accounts

Look through your credit reports for accounts, inquiries or other activity you don't recognize. The FTC recommends checking them whenever personal information has been exposed.

An unfamiliar account doesn't always mean identity theft. A creditor might be using a different business name, for instance. But anything you can't explain is worth looking into.

Don't stop at credit. Go through bank statements, credit card activity, bills and other financial accounts for transactions or changes you didn't make.

Signs that someone is using your SSN

Identity theft can show up in places other than your credit report. Watch for:

• A bill for an account or service you didn't open
• Debt collection calls about debts that aren't yours
• Bank withdrawals or charges you don't recognize
• An unexpected change or gap in bills you normally get
• An IRS notice about a tax return or income you don't recognize
• Employment records showing income from an employer you don't work for
• Medical bills or insurance activity you don't recognize

A data breach notification is a signal to take seriously too, but on its own it doesn't prove anyone has used your identity.

Also read: How to Get My Information Off the Dark Web

What if a scammer gets your Social Security number?

Stop talking to them and don't give them anything else. Then think about what else they may have.

If you gave them your SSN but have no evidence they've used it, the FTC recommends going to IdentityTheft.gov and following its steps to protect yourself. If the SSN has already been used for identity theft, IdentityTheft.gov can build a recovery plan for your situation.

If you also handed over account logins, secure those accounts right away: change the passwords and turn on multi-factor authentication where you can.

Be wary of anyone who contacts you afterwards offering to recover your identity or protect your SSN for a fee. Someone who knows you were targeted once may try a second scam.

How to check your Social Security and tax records

Your SSN can be misused in ways that never show up on a credit report. Someone could use it to get a job, for example, and the IRS would then receive income information under your SSN that isn't yours.

If you suspect this, IdentityTheft.gov recommends reviewing your Social Security work history and contacting the Social Security Administration if you find errors. You can also consider an E-Verify account, which lets you lock your SSN for employment verification.

Tax identity theft is the other risk. Warning signs include an IRS notice about a return you didn't file or income from an employer you don't recognize. If it happens, follow the IRS's instructions and use IdentityTheft.gov to create a recovery plan.

Can you get a new Social Security number?

Usually not just because it was exposed. The Social Security Administration generally needs evidence of ongoing problems caused by misuse of your existing number before it considers a replacement.

A new number also doesn't necessarily cut the link to your old one, because organizations may still have records tied to it. Replacing your SSN isn't the normal first response to an exposure. Start by working out what happened, protecting your credit, watching for misuse and following the recovery steps if fraud shows up.

Keep your SSN exposure in perspective

An exposed Social Security number feels serious because it's hard to change and stays tied to you for a long time. But exposure isn't the same as identity theft.

Focus on what you can establish. Find out what was exposed. Freeze your credit if it makes sense. Check your credit reports and financial accounts, and watch for tax or employment problems. Secure any accounts that were also compromised. If you find evidence that someone is using your SSN, act quickly and let IdentityTheft.gov guide your recovery.

Also read: Understand the Different Types of Exposure

Keep track of your personal information

Your SSN is only one part of your identity online. Other details about you circulate through data breaches, public records, data brokers and compromised accounts.

Serus keeps track of where your personal information appears online, so you can spot exposure and act when it matters, instead of waiting for it to turn into a bigger problem.

Run a free scan with Serus to see what's exposed.