• ansiz@lemmy.worldEnglish
    55·
    10 hours ago

    If SSN based fraud is the program then let’s establish an actual federal identification number. Even the Social Services bureau tried to get everyone to not use it as the end all source of truth. They only created it for social security benefits, literally only that purpose.

    • explodicle@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
      11·
      9 hours ago

      They should just publish every SSN at once with names. That’ll make them useless as “secret” numbers and useful as identifiers.

      • ericatty@infosec.pub
        11·
        7 hours ago

        In college, early 90s, our student IDs had our photo and SSN on it

        I’ve operated ever since under rhe assumption anyone and everyone has access to it.

        Then with all the data breaches over the last 10/15 years? Freeze credit reports with the 3 reporting agencies for free. Check for extra accounts with the free annual credit report pulls.

        For all practical purposes, our SSNs are easily obtained by someone who wants it.

        I’m not sure what the solution is, but a unique identifier has to be housed somewhere where in can be accessed in a format humans can read, which means it can be accessed and dumped so it’s no longer private or secret.

        I’m not a fan of biometrics, and I tolerate 2FA. I really think it’s more important we change how we think about and use personal, unique, identifiers (like SSNs)

        • MutilationWave@lemmy.world
          1·
          21 minutes ago

          Around 2006, a woman was able to start an account with the local power company with my SSN and name. She said she was my girlfriend and was setting it up for me. I know this because the person setting up the account made a note of it at the time. She ran it up over $300 and then let them close it. I didn’t find out about it until a few years later when I had to set up electric in my name (lived with roommates from 2002 until like 2016). They told me they wouldn’t start a new account until I paid what I owed.

          I don’t think this is possible anymore, but even at the time it’s unbelievable that it was allowed.