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Identity Theft and Social Security

Identity Theft and Social Security
People line up outside of the Social Security Administration office in San Francisco, Calif., on Feb. 2, 2005. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
Tom Margenau
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Q: My purse was stolen, and now I worry that someone might be using my Social Security number. I called the Social Security office and was told to contact credit-reporting agencies and possibly the police. And they gave me some website to look up. It seems to me they should have done more. Can’t they just cancel my old number and give me a new one? Was I informed correctly?
A: Yes, you probably were given correct information. When a Social Security card is stolen, so many people just naturally assume it is a problem for the Social Security Administration to resolve. But when you think it through, it really isn’t.
Tom Margenau
Tom Margenau
Author
Tom Margenau worked for 32 years in a variety of positions for the Social Security Administration before retiring in 2005. He has served as the director of SSA’s public information office, the chief editor of more than 100 SSA publications, a deputy press officer and spokesman, and a speechwriter for the commissioner of Social Security. For 12 years, he also wrote Social Security columns for local newspapers, and recently published the book “Social Security: Simple and Smart.” If you have a Social Security question, contact him at [email protected]
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