To: The United States House of Representatives and The United States Senate
Replace Compromised Social Security Numbers
With the prevalence of huge security breaches, the social security numbers of many Americans are now available on the black market. With the Anthem breach, even children's info was stolen. Since Social Security numbers are valid for the holder's lifetime, threat actors can purchase this information now and use it any time in the future.
Imagine your 7 year old trying to open a checking account when she turns 18, only to find that her social security number has been used by someone else for years. She would have to handle that identity theft issue before she could move forward with any financial activities.
There is a solution.
The Social Security Administration can establish a system that issues new numbers to people whose personal information has been compromised. From that point forward, the old number would not be valid for new transactions. All of a sudden, all of that stolen info becomes useless. We are protected, and the thieves have less incentive to steal this information in the first place.
We encourage Congress to address this issue and direct the Social Security Administration to develop a Compromised Social Security Number Replacement Program immediately.
Imagine your 7 year old trying to open a checking account when she turns 18, only to find that her social security number has been used by someone else for years. She would have to handle that identity theft issue before she could move forward with any financial activities.
There is a solution.
The Social Security Administration can establish a system that issues new numbers to people whose personal information has been compromised. From that point forward, the old number would not be valid for new transactions. All of a sudden, all of that stolen info becomes useless. We are protected, and the thieves have less incentive to steal this information in the first place.
We encourage Congress to address this issue and direct the Social Security Administration to develop a Compromised Social Security Number Replacement Program immediately.
Why is this important?
My family's personal information has been stolen in more than one breach. How about yours? When there is a data breach, companies offer 1 year of identity theft protection. But, our social security numbers can be used years or decades from now. We need a system that replaces social security numbers for people whose have been stolen.