Many national programs
that needed a unique identi?¬?er in the past 70 years depended on it. In 1961, the
SSN became a reference ID for federal tax returns. In 1976, it became the key
for registering vehicles. Today it is used for even more purposes, including
health-care insurance, immigration, ?¬?nancial services, and much more.
Knowing the SSN of someone means gaining access to all the information that
uses the SSN as a database key. Furthermore, because the SSN is supposed to be
a well guarded secret, many business activities regard the knowledge of the SSN
(or even just the last four numbers of it) as a valid proof of identity. That means
that the SSN can be used for serious business (opening a loan, for example).
Stealing the SSN is among the most complete ways of taking over a person??™s
identity.
Another useful concept is credit history. In the United States, anybody who applies
for a credit line, be it a credit card or a loan, is evaluated for eligibility on
the basis of his or her past ?¬?nancial history. Three main credit-reporting agencies
keep track of all the ?¬?nancial history of an individual, his credit history, and
can supply a prompt assessment of the individual??™s accountability as a buyer.
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