How To Use Idme
TWC uses ID.me to verify the identity of an individual who filed a claim for unemployment benefits. If you did not file the unemployment claim, you must not use ID.me.
Most claimants can verify their identity using the ID.me self-service webpage. You will need to submit photos of your:
You might not be able to have your identity verified using the self-service webpage if:
- The photos of your government-issued ID or your personal photo are blurry or shadowed
- If you have credit issues, such as no credit or frozen credit or your credit information is incorrect
- Or if the phone number you submit is not associated with your name.
If you cannot use the self-service option, you may be able to verify your identity during a video conference call with ID.me. To verify your identity using a video call, you will need:
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What Should I Do If I Think Someone Is Using My Social Security Number
If you think someone is using your number, there are several actions you can take. Note that we can only resolve Social Security number reporting problems on our own records.
Review your Social Security earnings record Review the earnings posted to your record on your Social Security Statement. To get your online Statement, log into your personal mySocial Security account and check your account. If you see any inconsistencies, contact the Social Security Administration. We consider identity theft one of our major challenges so we have joined in government-wide efforts to prevent Social Security number misuse.If you want to report identity theft, where someone used your personal information, including your Social Security number, to get a loan or job, file a tax return, or conduct other business, please visit the Federal Trade Commissions Identity Theft page. This guides you through each step of the recovery process. Its a one-stop resource managed by the Federal Trade Commission, the nations consumer protection agency.Contact the Internal Revenue Service for issues involving taxesIf you believe someone is using your Social Security number to work, get your tax refund, or other abuses involving taxes, contact the IRS online or call 1-800-908-4490. Order a free credit reportYou can order free credit reports annually from the three major credit bureaus .Make a single request for all three credit bureau reports:
How To Protect Yourself: Identity Theft
Identity theft is a serious problem that affects millions each year. When an imposter uses your name, Social Security number , credit card number or any other form of personal information without your knowledge and permission, its a crime.
Unfortunately, sometimes victims remain unaware that their identity has been stolen until they receive monthly statements for credit card accounts they never applied for, credit reports including unfamiliar debts or monthly statements that include unauthorized charges.
If someone has stolen your identity, immediately take these three steps:
Take control of your identity.
Although identity thieves can destroy your personal finances, there are some things you can do to take control of the situation.
Some ways to handle the most common forms of identity theft are:
A- If an identity thief has stolen your mail for access to new credit cards, bank and credit card statements, pre-approved credit offers and tax information or falsified change-of-address forms, that person has committed a crime. Report it to your local postal inspector. You may contact the United States Postal Inspection Service online at .
G- If any identity thief is using your name or SSN to obtain a drivers license, report it to your states Department of Motor Vehicles. Also, if your state uses your SSN as your drivers license number, ask to substitute another number.
Stay alert.
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Apply For A New Social Security Card
Finally, once you have followed all of these steps completely, youll want to apply for a replacement card.This process can be tedious, so before we actually go into the details like when you need to go to your local SSA office and what original or copies of documents you need, were going to talk about one important issue.
Review Your Credit Reports Carefully
When you receive your credit reports, read them carefully. Look for accounts you dont recognize. Look in the inquiries section for names of creditors from whom you havent requested credit. You may find some inquiries identified as promotional. These occur when a company has gotten your name and address from a credit bureau to send you an offer of credit. Promotional inquiries are not signs of fraud. Also, as a general precaution, look in the personal information section to verify your Social Security number, address and name.
If you find anything you dont understand, call the credit bureau at the telephone number listed on the report. Tell them you want to block, or remove, any information on the report that is the result of identity theft. For more on what to tell the credit bureaus, see the Privacy Rights Clearinghouses Identity Theft: What to Do When It Happens to You.
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Lost Or Stolen Federal Payments
Report your lost, missing, or stolen federal check to the agency that issued the payment. It’s usually one of these paying agencies. If your documentation indicates it’s a different agency, and you need its contact information, look in the A-Z Index of U.S. Government Departments and Agencies.
To get an update on your claim, contact the Treasury Department Philadelphia Financial Center at 1-855-868-0151, option 1.
More Ways To Protect Your Social Security Number
Going forward, the name of the game will be monitoring and ongoing protection. For instance, to see if your Social Security number is being used by someone else for employment purposes, review your Social Security Statement to look for suspicious activity.
Get in the habit of regularly checking your bank and credit card accounts online for suspicious activity. You should also monitor your credit report, driving records and insurance records.
Here are a few ways you can continue to protect your Social Security number:
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How To Report A Stolen Social Security Card
This article was co-authored by Clinton M. Sandvick, JD, PhD. Clinton M. Sandvick worked as a civil litigator in California for over 7 years. He received his JD from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1998 and his PhD in American History from the University of Oregon in 2013.There are 14 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page.wikiHow marks an article as reader-approved once it receives enough positive feedback. In this case, several readers have written to tell us that this article was helpful to them, earning it our reader-approved status. This article has been viewed 554,597 times.
One of fastest growing crimes in the United States is identity theft. Over 13.1 million Americans were victims of identity fraud in 2013 alone.XResearch source Thieves can target social security cards and then charge up credit cards under your name. Luckily, the Social Security Administration has a department devoted to receiving reports of stolen social security cards and preventing future fraud.
What Can A Thief Do With My Social Security Number
There are numerous things that a thief can do with your SSN, and none of them are good. One of the most common things that happen when someone is using your Social Security number is opening credit accounts in your name. They might get credit cards, bank accounts, or loans in your name and use them to purchase items. A thief might even use your SSN to file a fraudulent tax return with the Internal Revenue Service. Taking this action could allow them to receive a large tax refund, and then you might be on the hook later for the fraudulent return.
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Request Information On Fraudulent Accounts
When you file your police report of identity theft, the officer may give you forms to use to request account information from credit grantors, utilities or cell phone service companies. If the officer does not do this, you can use the form in our Consumer Information Sheet 3A: Requesting Information on Fraudulent Accounts. When you write to creditors where the thief opened or applied for accounts, send copies of the forms, along with copies of the police report. Give the information you receive from creditors to the officer investigating your case.
If You’re Not Sure Why You Received A Payment
If you receive a check or direct deposit payment from the Treasury Department and do not know what its for, contact the regional financial center that issued it. Only the agency that authorized the payment can explain why you received it.
If you received a check, look for the RFCs city and state at the top center. Then contact that RFC to find out which federal agency authorized the payment. It will be one of these:
If you received payment byelectronic funds transfer , or direct deposit, follow the directions under Find Information About a Payment.
Use the Treasury Check Verification System to verify that the check is legitimate and issued by the government.
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Provide Documents That Establish All Of The Following Information:
- U.S. citizenship
The process is tedious, and even if provide everything listed, you can still be turned down.
The bottom line is that when your Social Security card is either lost or stolen, its imperative that you take action immediately. Do not procrastinate. The sooner you can start the paper trail, the better the chances that fraudulent activities are cleared from your report.
Report The Fraud To The Three Major Credit Bureaus
You can report the identity theft to all three of the major credit bureaus by calling any one of the toll-free fraud numbers below. You will reach an automated telephone system and you will not be able to speak to anyone at this time. The system will ask you to enter your Social Security number and other information to identify yourself. The automated system allows you to flag your file with a fraud alert at all three bureaus. This helps stop a thief from opening new accounts in your name. The alert stays on for 90 days. Each of the credit bureaus will send you a letter confirming your fraud alert and giving instructions on how to get a copy of your credit report. As a victim of identity theft, you will not be charged for these reports. Each report you receive will contain a telephone number you can call to speak to someone in the credit bureaus fraud department.
Experian 1-888-397-3742
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Contact Your Financial Providers
If you spot anything suspicious on your credit reports, bank accounts or credit card accounts, contact your bank, credit card providers, and the lenders behind the fraudulent accounts.
Explain that someone is making illegal purchases in your name, is taking out loans in your name or is fraudulently opening credit card accounts under your name. You are not responsible for any fraudulent purchases. Ask your bank or credit card provider to close your cards and account to protect yourself from any additional illegal activity.
You should also change the passwords on your other accounts. You want to make sure to protect them from an identity thief.
Place A Fraud Alert With The Credit Bureaus
Once you’ve discovered that you’ve lost your Social Security card, place a fraud alert with the three national credit bureaus of Experian, Equifax and TransUnion. You only need to place an alert with one of the bureaus. That bureau will contact the other two.
A fraud alert requires creditors that check your to take additional steps to verify that it is really you who is requesting new credits or loans. If a lender checks your credit, the credit bureau will contact you to make sure you applied for the loan.
An initial fraud alert will remain on your credit file for one year. You have the option to renew the alert after this expiration if you are still worried about identity thieves.
Fraud alerts are fee. You can contact the bureaus here:TransUnion fraud alert
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Write To The Credit Bureaus
Write a letter to each credit bureau. Repeat what you said in your telephone call . Send copies of your police report and completed ID Theft Affidavit. Remind the credit bureaus that they must block or remove any information that you, as an identity theft victim, say is a result of the theft. Send your letters by certified mail, return receipt requested. Keep a copy of each letter. See the Sample Letter to Credit Bureaus on page 7.
Equifax
P.O. Box 2000Chester, PA 19016
As an alternative, you may dispute items with the credit bureaus online. Look for “dispute” on their websites: equifax.com/home/en_us, experian.com, and transunion.com.
Who Has The Right To Ask For Your Number
While any business can ask for your social security number, there are very few entities that can actually demand it motor vehicle departments, tax departments and welfare departments, for example. Also, social security numbers are required for transactions involving taxes, so that means banks, brokerages, employers, and the like also have a legitimate need for your social security number.
Most other businesses have no legal right to demand your number. There is no law prohibiting a business from asking for your social security number, but asking for it does not mean you have to give it. Ask if the business will accept an alternative piece of identification. Since some businesses use your social security number to check your credit worthiness, there is a possibility they will refuse to use a different identifier and may refuse to provide whatever product or service you are seeking. But a business may accept your refusal and complete the transaction. If they do not, you might want to consider choosing not to do business with them.
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Consider A Credit Freeze
The strongest protection against new accounts being opened in your name is a credit freeze, also called a security freeze. A freeze means that your file cannot be shared with potential creditors, insurers, employers, or residential landlords without your permission. For more information, see our CIS 10: How to Freeze Your Credit Files.
How Do Thieves Profit From Stolen Social Security Cards
Identity thieves can use your SSN to apply for more credit in your name. Of course, the scammers never pay the bills, which can damage your credit, and cause you to get calls from unknown credit demanding payment for items you never bought. They may also place your Social Security number on the Dark Web to sell to other identity thieves.
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Lost Your Social Security Card Heres What To Do
If you have somehow lost your Social Security card, there are some things to do to not only get a replacement, but also ensuring that the lost card isnt used for any nefarious purpose. Relatively speaking, getting a new card is easy if you have a personal online account at www.ssa.gov. This account can be used for, among many other things, requesting a replacement. But if you dont have an online account and cant set one up, you can request a replacement by mail or in person at your local Social Security office. But just getting your new card is only half of what you need to do you also need to protect yourself against identity theft using your lost Social Security information. This article by Gerri Detweiler appears at www.credit.com and provides what you need to know if your Social Security card has been lost.
Notice: The link provided above connects readers to the full content of the posted article. The URL for this link is valid on the posted date socialsecurityreport.org cannot guarantee the duration of the links validity. Also, the opinions expressed in these postings are the viewpoints of the original source and are not explicitly endorsed by AMAC, Inc. the AMAC Foundation, Inc. or socialsecurityreport.org.
How To Get A Replacement Social Security Card
To get a Social Security replacement card, visit the SSAs My Social Security account website. Youll be taken through the steps of requesting a replacement card. Keep in mind that you can use this online site to request a replacement card if you:
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To apply for a replacement Social Security card, either online or via mail, you’ll need one acceptable personal identification document. By and large, your birth certificate will suffice, although the SSA will also accept the following proof of identity:
- A U.S. hospital record of your birth.
- A religious record indicating your date of birth .
- A current valid U.S. passport.
- A final adoption decree .
There are several exceptions if you cant get the needed identification documents, or dont have them at all. The SSA will accept other forms of identification that show your legal name and biographical data. Acceptable options include a U.S. military I.D. card, a U.S. Certificate of Naturalization, employee identity card, a certified copy of a medical record , a health insurance card, Medicaid card, or school identity card.
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