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How to Report a Stolen Social Security Card
One of fastest growing crimes at the United States is identity theft. above 13.1 million Americans were victims of identity deception at 2013 alone.[1] Thieves can goal social security cards and then accuse up confidence cards below your name. Luckily, the Social Security Administration has a preserve devoted to receiving reports of stolen social security cards and preventing future fraud.
1. Notifying the Authorities
1) confront the Social Security Administration (SSA). This is arguably the most important step at the sum process. at order to application a new card, you eat to rank a illustrate with the SSA. You can confront them at www.socialsecurity.gov or summon toll-free at 1-800-772-1213. They can substitute your missing social security card with your original number or a new number.
- If you doubt someone is using your number, you to confront the SSA to illustrate the issue. The SSA will magazine your wage with you to pledge its records are correct. You can either magazine wage posted to your illustrate above your Social Security statement. This statement is available online, and you can obtain it at www.socialsecurity.gov/myaccount after creating an account.
- Note that, if someone used your social security number to obtain a queue of credit, the SSA cannot determine these problems.
2) rank a illustrate with the Federal business committee (FTC). The FTC collects information that can guide to an inquiry or prosecution of identity thieves, besides during does no determine eccentric cases relating to a stolen Social Security card.
- Online: infer the FTCâs online disease form. You can discover the figure at www.ftc.gov/complaint. infer the disease figure with although many details although you know. conserve the reference number and obey your information. You need that reference number to update your disease online or by phone. while you sum writing entire the details, print a xerox of the report. It will print although an Identity Theft Affidavit. compose definite to conserve or print your Affidavit. You can use this paper to rank although a police illustrate or to counter artificial confidence charges made at your name.
- By Phone: summon the FTC at 1-877-438-4338 or 1-866-653-4261 (TTY). illustrate the apt to the delegate and request although your disease reference number and affidavit password. The FTC delegate will email you a link, accordingly you can print or conserve your Affidavit
- Keep record dates and copies of your Affidavit at your files and if necessary, summon the FTC to update your complaint. You will need to supply your disease reference number.
3) rank a police illustrate with your local police. make with you a xerox of your FTC Identity Theft Affidavit, any other evidence of the theft, a government issued ID with a photo, and evidence of your address (rental agreement, wage stub, or utilities bill). infer a illustrate above the theft and request although a xerox of the report.
4) rank a disease with the Internet sin disease heart (IC3). The Internet sin disease heart is run by the Federal Bureau of inquiry and the National White Collar sin Center. It functions although a manner to register complaints regarding fraudulent online accounts. Obviously, virgin rank a disease with them if you doubt that someone has stolen your social security number online.
2. Replacing the Card
1) obtain an application. You need to substitute the card that has been stolen. You can obtain an application from the Social Security Administration office, or print off the application although a Social Security Card.
- This was the application you either filled out while applying although the card although the first time.
- You can either obtain the figure from a local Social Security office. You can discover your local office at their website.
2) Fill out the form. after reading the directions, use gloomy or sorrowful ink to fill out the form.
- Use the 4-digit year (XXXX) to post your birth.
- You are no required to supply people or ethnicity information to acquire a Social Security card.
- You make to groan the figure yourself if you are 18 or above and physically capable to conduct so. if you are no capable to groan the form, then you can eat a legal guardian, shut relative, or parent groan although you. if you cannot groan your name, you can groan with an âXâ and eat two other nation groan although witnesses.
3) infer indispensable identity documents. You make to make documents that build your identity with you while you utilize although the replacement card. Documents issued at the United States are preferred and to be unexpired. They to emerge your legal name, include biographical information, and eat too a film or supply a physical description of you.
- Preferred evidence of identity documents include:
- a valid U.S. driverâs license
- a U.S. passport
- a U.S. state-issued non-driver identity card
- If you donât eat one of these documents, or canât obtain a replacement within 10 working days, the Social Security office can accept other documents, such as:
- a U.S. military identity card
- employee identity card
- health insurance or Medicaid card
- school identity card
- Birth certificates, Social Security card stubs, and Social Security records are not accepted although evidence of identity.
4) infer the indispensable citizenship or immigration documents. if you were born outer of the United States, you will need to make extra documents with you to emerge your citizenship or immigration status.
- If you are a U.S. inhabitant besides during were born outer the United States, you will need to emerge evidence of your U.S. citizenship. Acceptable documents include:
- A U.S. passport
- A Consular illustrate of birth
- A Certificate of citizenship
- A Certificate of Naturalization
- If you are no a U.S. citizen, you make to emerge evidence of immigration country or vocation eligibility. make your original visa or green card (not copies). You to either make your foreign passport.
5) utilize although a replacement card. You can utilize although your replacement card one of two ways. You can utilize at person at a local Social Security office. You can discover your local office online at the Social Security website. make the completed application and required documents with you.
- You can either mail your original documents and your completed application to your local Social Security office. They will retort the documents to you while they eat completed the application process.
- You can either summon Social Security toll-free at 1-800-772-1213 to locate your nearest office.
6) wait to accept the replacement Social Security card by mail. at most cases, you will accept your replacement card by mail within 7-14 days. if you applied at a Social Security office, they will state you how wish you can wish to wait to accept your card.
3. Monitoring Your Credit
1) application a deception alert with Equifax, Trans Union, or Experian. Once you conduct so, the confidence reporting agency is obligated to confront the other two agencies to notify them although well. This is the easiest manner to overhear your confidence after losing your social security card. These companies will confront you by phone to confirm while confidence is opened below your name.
- Equifax: 1-800-525-6285
- Trans Union: 1-800-680-7289
- Experian: 1-888-397-3742
2) ponder requesting Extended deception Alerts. if you eat created an Identity Theft illustrate with the FTC, you can request confidence reporting companies to lay an extended deception alert above your confidence file. They can eat you infer a application form. Placing an extended deception alert is free and stays at consequence although up to 7 years.
3) application a free xerox of your confidence illustrate from each of the confidence reporting agencies. You are given 1 free confidence illustrate each year.Carefully magazine them although activity you did no authorize. confirm that the personal information above the illustrate is accurate.
- Look although accounts you did no open, companies you haven't contacted, and debts you can't explain.
4) eat any fraudulent or inaccurate information removed from the confidence report. say to someone at the deception preserve where your economical accounts eat been tampered with or where accounts were opened without your authorization.
- When requesting an illustrate to be closed or fraudulent charges to be removed, ship the application at writing and include copies of documents that help your claims similar your FTC or police report. keep records of entire traffic and correspondence.
- You can desire to ship the companies a certified alphabet at writing to formally application that the charges be removed. be definite to be special about each fraudulent item.
5) thrive to check your confidence reports at least each 3 months. conduct this during the first year after a Social Security card is stolen, and then annually thereafter, to compose definite that nobody illegally uses your Social Security number to empty a new confidence line.