Nearly all people are acquainted with the importance of Social Security Numbers are, but it's surprising that not too many know how these numbers came about. It all started with the Social Security Act of 1935 which dictated that all US citizens be permanently assigned one set of nine digits each as their national identity identifier to be acquired when a person is first employed.
Aside from identification purposes, these numbers are also very important for elders, the disabled and survivors who are provided insurance cover through the Social Security taxes paid by both employees and employers. You can even locate a long lost friend or relative or any person whose background you need to look into just by doing a social security number search online.
For this and countless more reasons, it is tremendously necessary for one to always secure his card to prevent it from being lost. On the other hand, when either does happen, the card can be replaced for free from the Social Security Administration. A person can even change his ssn a maximum of three times within a year or ten times during his lifetime, excluding changes in name or citizenship status.
The process for replacing a lost Social Security card is actually very simple. One simply has to submit a number of documents by mail or in person to the local Social Security Administration office. As long as there are no discrepancies in these documents, it is quite easy to get a replacement soon.
While the procedure can be simple, what happens between the time the card is lost and when it is replaced becomes very critical. Identity theft is usually the biggest danger to losing one's social security number. Therefore, it is the responsibility of the person to immediately inform local state and federal authorities, banks and other financial institutions about the loss. This way, they will be alerted and will decline all transactions using your lost card until you get a replacement anytime within the seventh to tenth week.
Should you ever believe that someone has been using your Social Security information, file a complaint right away with the Federal Trade Commission. Some people think identity theft only happens in movies. Of course, they do happen to real people. In fact, some individuals have actually ended up with whopping credit card bills to pay because someone took advantage of their lost card. Definitely, when you lose your Social Security card, you need to report the event instantly to authorities.
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An SSN background check could instantly reveal your personal details from your contact information to your health records. That's why aside from your identity, your privacy is also at stake when you lose your SSN so take care of it to avoid being an easy target for a free SSN trace .
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