I do background checks and research on individuals within a certain demographic for a living. I see hundreds of SSN's a week and in some cases, inadvertantly memorize people's SSN's when I have to type them out a lot. Please let me assure you that seriously, no one cares about your social security number.

This isn't to say that they shouldn't be carefully guarded and that the data leaks aren't highly preventable. However, your SSN really doesn't tell me anything about you that I couldn't also find if I had been given your name plus address or DOB. Identity thieves are much more concerned with finding your credit card information than your SSN.

Credit cards can be cancelled, and you can be absolved of having to pay for what a thief bought. But if someone has your SSN and other info, they can take out cards in your name and shred your credit history.

Wrong Wrong Wrong. Just because you have become desensitized with regard to the danger of a leaked SSN, does not make it less important than a credit card. The fact is, with the current influx of illegal immigration, SSN's are in high demand. Pretty much, the password to most accounts are the last 4 digits of the SSN, not the address, nor the DOB. What would you rather have, a $5,000 credit bill, or a $30,000 bill form the IRS because someone used your SSN on a 1099 form? If you are elderly, do you want someone taking your SSN benefits, or claiming unemployment insurance in your name? If someone opens an account in your name without a credit card logo, you would not be automaticlly covered by insurance. The company may find you negligent should they find you leaked your own information. If you leave your checks unguarded, and the bank finds out...you are beat out of 50K. Most personal leaks come from Tax documentation. The hackers gets a double whammy. Your SSN, and the bank account your refund check goes to.

Rian,

I'm sorry you think that I have become "desensitized" to the importance of SSN's. On the contrary, I feel that I have a very in-depth understanding of the sorts of information you can access once you have that kind of identification.

What "accounts" are you talking about that use the last four digits of your SSN? I certainly make a point to change passwords or ID's with my SSN in them (drivers license number, for instance,) but only for the same reason the password to my e-mail isn't my dog's name-- too easy to guess.

One of the checks that my company does is credit checks. Unfortunately for identity thieves, you need much more than a SSN to apply for and receive a credit card in someone else's name. Additionally, credit card companies have checks in place that alert them to false CC's pretty quickly. Of course, it is certainly not foolproof, as my favorite afternoon TV program, Judge Judy, can attest to.

Finally, on an unrelated note, you would really be surprised by how much of your personal life is actually public information-- such as each and every one of your employments, even if it was only for a day! I certainly was shocked when I found out.

Oh and also bankrupcies, debts, and court cases (!) About half of the people my company is researching have no idea they're the subject of an investigation.