Stolen SSN Cards and Illegal Immigrants
In recent years, it has come to attention of authorities about an underground market involving stolen or marketed SSN cards and illegal immigrants, especially those from Mexico.
This underground market is barely a blip on the American authorities’ radar and it’s occurring from one coast to the other. There are actually two ways that illegal immigrants are getting SSN cards. Mexicans that has a legal SSN card and who have returned to Mexico for whatever reason, will lend, rent, or sell their SSN cards.
This is a win-win for both parties. The person who buys the right to use the social security number gets to work in the US with no questions asked and the person who the SSN belongs to continues to enhance the unemployment and pension benefits. Government officials know that this has become a major problem and it’s a serious crime.
Today’s illegal immigrants can have a fake social security card and green card printed at the flee market for a couple of hundred dollars. Numbers are just plucked out of thin air. The problem with this method is that it’s caught at tax time. Where as using, a stolen or borrowed SSN doesn’t cause any problems with the taxman.
But the biggest problem comes with SSN cards that are stolen from U.S. citizens. In most of these cases, the legitimate owner of the number is using it in another part of the country. Big busts can sometime break up these rings but not always. Your SSN can be stolen not only so that illegal immigrants can work, but also it’s the start of stealing ones identity.
It can be obtained by stealing a wallet or purse, or even intercepting your mail. Sometimes rummaging through the garbage is all it takes. It’s important that you don’t give out your SSN to anyone and that you destroy written material using a shredder so that it doesn’t get into the wrong hands.
If you suspect someone might be using your social security number you should contact the authorities and ask for a form SSA-7005 which you can obtain at http://www.ssa.gov/pubs/10064.html
