| Previous by Date |
Index by Date
Threaded Index |
Next by Date |
|---|---|---|
| Previous by Thread | Next by Thread |
Re: SSN Use
At 11:15 AM 11/6/97 -0500, Peter Boyce wrote: >This is getting even farther afield, but I wonder how many states use >the SSN as the driver's license number. I know the District of >Clumbia does. And, for all I know, they sell the lists to >marketers... > >I have always worried about the SSN being on my license. I guess the risk >of theft is actually small. It is similar to sending credit card numbers >actually had a problem is small, but the perception of risk as perceived by >the public is enormous. > >Still, the privacy issue is an important matter. No way. It is NOT similar to the theft of a credit card. You can be the victim of what is called true-name fraud. Starting with your SSN and your name a thief can open numerous credit accounts in your name, run up the charges, bail out to a personal finance company to consolidate all that debt--all in your name--in your identity--and then skip out on the consolidated loan. Will you end up paying any of this? Probably not. You won't even know it's happening because the thief hasn't used your real address. You'll find out when you try to get credit yourself. Then it will cost you myriad letters and phone calls to all the credit bureaus, and numerous letters of explanation to the bank, credit card company, or whomever you're seeking credit from. Basically make your financial life hell, maybe for a few years. Got to meet a closing deadline on that house of your dreams, or lose it? Guess what. Not a small problem. Privacy is not the issue, security is. ------------------------------------------------- Dean Blobaum The University of Chicago Press dblobaum@press.uchicago.edu ----------------------------------------------------------------- Catalogs, online ordering, and features from our publications at: http://www.press.uchicago.edu/ -----------------------------------------------------------------
|
http://www.library.yale.edu/liblicense © 1996, 1997 Yale University Library |
Please read our Disclaimer E-mail us with feedback |
|