Keep Your Social Security Number Safe!

Welcome to Saving Money with Andrew!

My mom has many great qualities, one of which is her tendency to save almost everything from my childhood, ranging from old SAT scores and admissions letters (acceptances and rejections!), elementary school projects and concert programs, to the cringingly embarrassing but fun “underground newspaper” my friends and I published in high school.

And so it was a fun trip down memory lane as I went through one of the massive boxes storing many of my childhood and young adult memories. In doing so, however, I noticed that there were tons of documents that had my social security number, birthdate, and various other personal information, including school records and my old college applications.

As of 2023, about 531 million Social Security Numbers have been issued. SSNs were never intended to be used broadly for idenitication (as mentioned in The Story of the Social Security Number), but they, along with drivers license IDs, have become a universal identifier. With an SSN, a fraudster can cause quite a bit of havoc, and with that and your drivers license ID and other personal info, your entire identity is at risk.

Two quick tips on SSN safety:

Don’t Give Your SSN Unless It’s Absolutely Necessary

Many times, forms request your social security number. Sometimes it might be necessary (e.g., to check your credit), but often it’s not required. Many doctors’ offices, for example, ask me for it, and I simply leave it blank. To date, no doctor has insisted I provide it.

Similarly, never provide it online unless you have verified through multiple means that the site you’re on is reputable. If you’re not sure, ask a trusted computer-savvy friend or relative to take a look.

Don’t Leave Old Documents Lying Around

Be very careful with anything listing your SSN or other personal info that could be used to steal your identity (such as utility bills, paystubs, etc). If you need to keep it, lock it away in a safe or file cabinet. If not, shred it (I usually defer to Wirecutter’s picks on shredders). The FTC has a useful guide on what you should keep and what you should shred.

And now, Andrew’s pick(s) of the week:

The Spectacular Failure of the Star Wars Hotel is a superb four-hour (!) YouTube review of Disney’s very expensive and now defunct Star Wars-themed hotel, the Galactic Starcruiser.

The Winner of the 2014 Boston Marathon Finally Got Her Prize Money—From a Complete Stranger

How Free School Meals Went Mainstream

I hope this has been helpful. If you liked it, please share it on social media! Also, please send me your feedback, requests, and success stories.