I was the victim of Identity theft about six and a half years ago. I went to the gym, put my backpack in my trunk, locked my door and went inside to work out. When I came out 90 minutes later, my driver's side window was shattered to access my trunk release and my wallet was gone. I was one of those people who kept their Social Security card in their wallet (if yours is there take it out NOW!). It was two weeks before Christmas and in a matter of hours, these thieves had managed to rack up over $30K in debt in my name, including two $5K instant credit lines (Sears and Best Buy), several thousand dollars in Target purchases and, a $15K car! Yes, they were able to pose as me and actually finance a car!! This is what most of us know as Identity Theft, but there is another Identity Theft beast out there, one that can happen without our knowledge, one that seems "harmless," but isn't.
I've posted about illegal immigration in the past. It is a hot button of mine and one of my top three issues in determining who I will vote for in the upcoming presidential election. Immigration is one of the foundations of this country, and it should continue to be, when done legally.
Each year, over 10 MILLION people pay taxes under incorrect Social Security numbers (the number and the name associated with it do not match). Some of these are administrative issues, but the common thought is that the majority of these tax payments are the result of Social Security number-only identity theft. In my own backyard, for the bargain price of about $200, one can purchase the documentation needed to secure a job here in the U.S, including a "valid" Social Security number.
The scam goes something like this. Illegal immigrants provide a "fraudulent" Social Security card to their employer on their first day of work. This fulfills the employer's “I-9” requirement. Employers can call the Social Security Administration to perform a limited verification of the information, but most just make sure they have the documentation to
The "You're a meanie - illegal immigration doesn't hurt anyone" argument that I've heard always includes the statement that taxes paid under your Social Security number are credited to your account, but guess what? When the name/number doesn't, match NO ONE gets credit for the taxes paid by the worker. The money goes into a general account at the U.S. Treasury. Even better? Since 1983, more than $500 billion in uncredited Social Security wages have been earned by "no match" employees - $500 BILLION! You don't suppose this might be why local, state and federal agencies drag their feet on this issue, do you?
What's even more bothersome is that when another person is using your Social Security Number for employment purposes only, it's almost impossible to find out about it. It won't show up on your credit report and it won't be detected by credit monitoring. There is also no way to for any of us to inspect the history of their Social Security Number - to find out where and when it's been used.
Disturbing? Yes! It really is time we addressed illegal immigration in a meaningful way in this country!
36 comments:
You'd think that would constitute a windfall for America, but it doesn't. Maybe they could earmark that money for the free health care, education, etc. the illegals are recieving gratis....
I guess I'm pretty dense but I don't understand how it effects me if someone uses my number for employment purposes only. What happens? How would I ever know?
Buff, Funny ... that was exactly my thought!
Knight, it effects you because the taxes paid from the earnings under your SSN (but not your name) find their way to this "slush fund" at the Treasury, NOT to the programs tax dollars are earmarked for. This results in your taxes being raised to cover the programs that aren't being funded by the erroneously reported earnings.
Gotta say it like it is, fucking A that blows! I worked with a gal in California, her husband got layed off from work. He goes into unemployment to file and they say, you are already getting unemployent? After flipping out I'm sure, the story goes, they wait for the guy to come in and pick up his check, sure enough illegal immagrant. He had picked the SSI number at random!
Dana...thank you for this. I actually was not aware of that part of the fraud.
The other reason that it continues is that there are jobs no one will do if we kick all the illegal immigrants out. We need to give them a chance to become legal but I am really not sure how to do that.
Lu, although I do believe it should be criminal to do this AND we should be able to see who uses our SSN's, I also think it should be MANDATORY that employers check for "no match" status of any potential employee.
Bond, you wrote: ... there are jobs no one will do if we kick all the illegal immigrants out Ummm ... don't we call that slavery (work done under harsh conditions for little or no pay and without freedoms) in this country?? Just saying ...
So, when are you throwing your hat into the ring? :)
Amen Sister. I am with you 100%. The problem now is getting the government to do something about it. I am not holding my breath.
By the way, did telling your story about your past do some healing?
So, there has to be a record somewhere that taxes are bing paid twice on the same social security number, right? If that's the case then the gov't (local, state and fed) should be able to to inform people that their SS is being used by somebody else as a means to secure employment. And congress can change the law that sends those funds into general revenues instead of their "slush fund."
I'm not saying it's simple, but there are things our elected officials could do about this if they get some free time in their busy schedules in the future. ;-)
As for this issue in the general election, well don't bother. You're getting amnesty either way. McCain authored the bill that got shot down in the Senate. There will be 4 or 5 more Dems in the senate next year so even if McCain wins we're getting that original immigration bill. No matter what he claims or says when he's pandering to conservative groups.
Obama has never made much of a secret of his support for amnesty either. Mo matter what he claims or says when he starts pandering to people who aren't registered Dems.
So we're getting amnesty.
As someone who works in construction...most folks have no idea how many illegals are out there and how it would affect our economy if they all had to leave.
We only hire legals, but we have tons of illegals come in with no ID, expired IDs, fake IDs. They just move on down the line to someone who'll hire them for cash or who doesn't care about their status.
I wish I knew the answer.
Great post.
Its massive here in the UK, the government are trying to mak eus carry ID cards :( things are getting tighter all round
Nicey
Well written. I am a legalized citizen of this country. I was not born here but had to go through the ropes to earn my citizenship. If I could do it, anyone can. I just don't understand what the hardship is with these people....
Flyinfox_SATX
I don't know what the answer is, but there has to be an answer. I get that the illegals do work that most people are unwilling to do, but they cannot get away with stealing SS numbers. I agree that it needs to be addressed.
Leighann, with my skeletons? You've got to be kidding! But you'll be happy to learn that I was voted in as PTO president for the 2008-2009 school year - too bad illegal immigration isn't on the school improvement plan!
Jay, you know I write these "thoughtful" posts just so you'll leave long comments, right? I agree, there are things that can - and should - be done. I am also terribly aware that amnesty - of some sort - is a given, I just want there to be some effort on the part of illegals to "earn" that citizenship.
RLL, our economy? Just think what it would do to Mexico's economy (not implying that all illegals are from Mexico, however they do make up over 50% of all illegals in the U.S.)
Nicey, there have been mutterings here about a National ID card, but that scares the bejesus out of me!
Flyinfox, I really appreciate what legal immigration gives this country - it's a HUGE benefit to us!
Karen, I've always said they are criminals by being here illegally and then they continue criminal activities. I find it hard to be sympathetic.
Social security fraud is more common than people realize. I'll have to ask The Ex where he got it, but a few years ago he had a print out of some sort from Social Security that showed all the jobs his social had been associated with. It was frightening to find no less than 14 jobs in places he had never been. Then he tried to get his passport, for a trip to Peru. It took over a year, and a full on Federal Investigation because there was already a passport associated with his social, and it wasn't his. Even after the passport was seized and the holder arrested at the airport as he attempted to leave the country it took several months and interviews to convince the Feds that The Ex had nothing to do with the sale of his own information.
Crap, now I'm paranoid. I have had so many jobs and my number has had to pass by so many people over the years. How do I know?
That's messed up. I hope that as a country we can come up with a good working solution to illegal immigration. It puts a strain on out healthcare and economy.
Boo, I'd be most interested in seeing a report like that - I've not been able to find access to that type of record, even on the SSA website! I can get an earnings report, but that doesn't address the "no match" issue.
Knight, you wouldn't know - that's part of the problem!
Man! And I bet there is NO way to find out for sure if your money is being put into that mass. I get a SS info thingie every year, but still, how do I know it's all there???
Oh yeah Dana. You go girl. I am soooo with you on this.
The IRS has issued over 7 million taxpayer numbers to undocumented immigrants (read: illegal). They only see 5% of those numbers again on tax returns (350K illegals out of the 20 Million that are here actually paid $300 million in taxes, or .000025% what the rest of us pay).
The rest of the legit taxpayer #'s are assumedly used to open checking accounts so they can wire $45 BILLION dollars OUT of the US and back to Mexico, which is Mexico's single largest source of foreign aid (called remittances). Oh yeah, the IRS is prohibited to share with ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement).
My property taxes are going up 11% the same month my county announced shortfalls in social services because of the glut of illegal immigrants. Coincidence?
Far too many people have their head in the sand.
did you hear about the owner of one of those credit agencies, the one that put his SS number out there and then like had about 7 people commit (or try to at least) commit identity fraud on him. ohhhh how the mighty have fallen!
Cowboy, getting the government to do anything these days seems remote.
G-Man, don't forget the strain it puts on our public education system!
Bina, if you keep your payroll records it's quite easy to make sure that your earnings match what SSA has on record. What you cannot see is if anyone else has reported earnings under your SSN, nor will those earnings appear on your SSA earnings statement.
Michael, I've heard many an argument that deporting illegal immigrants hurts our economy - I still believe it hurts the illegal immigrants' native country far more. Thanks for the additional stats!
Tequila, his SSN was actually used to secure a payday loan ... by someone else!
Wow! This country needs a
"dope slap" of the highest order!
I pretty much try to stay positive, but I feel were slipping past any fixes that any one, or 500, or 5000, or 50,000, or 500,000 people can come with. "IT"S BROKEN"
Maybe it's time to face the music!
I know I'm going to sound simplistic or idealistic but that's fine.
I'd rather efforts go toward holding corporations responsible for lost jobs, ripped off pensions, no benefits.
I'd rather doctors and drug companies and insurance companies be held responsible for outrageous profits and double/triple billing.
I'd rather all the loopholes for millionaires go away.
I find too many people blaming the woes of the nation on illegal immigrants.
As for the comment somewhere up there about illegal immigrants committing more crimes once here. well yes, the SS# theft is a crime. lets go after the Americans making money on that and lets not decide that illegal immigrants are criminals in any way other than their status here.
if Canadians were flocking into this country I doubt the outrage would be the same, programs would be developed to hasten their citizenship. I think a lot of the crescendo of immigration outrage is directly associated with not wanting poor dark people here.
Sorry about your troubles, but I have no worries.
If somebody stole my identity, they would have nothing but debt collectors and angry women after them. Cheers Dana!!
Dianne has made some very valid points concerning holding corporations accountable for the crimes and fraud that get committed in their respective businesses. Absolutely. Let that also include their knowingly hiring illegal aliens. If the enticement of employment were removed, millions of these illegal immigrants would have no choice but to go home. Dr.s and insurance companies who defraud and overcharge? Yes! Hold them responsible for their crimes. Also don't fail to include holding accountable illegals who fraudulently obtain social services (with stolen SS numbers) and who clog emergency rooms all over the southern US by using the ER as their primary physicians. Hospitals are closing in AZ from the millions that will never be recovered from those folks. Close loopholes that allow wealthy folks to duck some of the taxes that they owe. But don't confuse loopholes with tax breaks given in exchange for the investment that most of the wealthy do that helps fund the backbone of our economy. Yes, let's go after ANY and ALL who are profiting from the theft of SSNs in any way, but let's not forget that huge numbers of illegal aliens are pouring into Southern Cal and AZ, not to take those back-breaking jobs that we lazy Americans won't, but to form the virtual armies of gangs like "Mara Salvatrucha" (MS-13). The jobs they do that we don't want are those really nitty-gritty ones, like hiring themselves out as leg men for Al-Qaeda.
Let's also not forget the non "poor dark people" who are also illegally here and forming their own crime waves. Huge numbers of exiles from various former Soviet-Block countries came under the guise of seeking political asylum, studying at US universities etc, who simply overstayed their visas or ignored the denial of their petition for asylum. Many of these "immigrants" now form the backbone of the so-called Russian mafia. The same goes for all manner of European criminals who have done the same thing on one scale or another. Most of these folks are, decidedly, not dark.
As I tell my kids, "Not all of anyone, is anything" and that is true, but the ones that "are" cannot be ignored. Illegal immigrants are not the source of all of this country's woes, but you can't threaten the sovereignty and security of our nation and simply point the other way at the issues that seemingly can be laid on the backs of the ubiquitous Evil Corporations or Evil Drug Companies or the universally despised Rich White Folks. All these issues and many more are ripe for repair. We simply must hold our elected officials collective feet to the fire to get them to do the people's will. There is a solution to illegal immigration, but granting a blanket amnesty so that those who are here can work without exploitation and yet leaving the door open for more to come and be exploited is a revolving door to hell.
Did I ever mention that I'm sometimes a bit long winded?
FMD
All very good and important points FMD. I love a good dialogue, I don't think you're long winded at all :)
'revolving door to hell' - is that ever a true statement for so much of what is going on in this world.
Micky, I agree - there comes a time when we need to face what we've created and fix the problems - this is one of those times!
Dianne, interesting perspective. In no way did I mean to imply that "the woes of the nation" fall on illegal imigrants, and just illegal immigrants. Do I believe this is a HUGE issue in our country? Absolutely! Do I believe it is the ONLY problem in our country? Unfortunately, we have far more than just this issue to work on.
I believe accountability is an equal opportunity trait. I would guess, based on some of your statements, that you feel their should be greater accountability for those with "more." I disagree - I believe the accountability standards should be the same for ALL.
There was one statement in your comment that disturbed me greatly - I think a lot of the crescendo of immigration outrage is directly associated with not wanting poor dark people here. I'm surprised to see this comment on my blog, being that I have a bi-racial child who often sees the wrath of small minds. I can only speak for myself, of course, but a person's financial status and skin color are absolutely no part of my issue with illegal immigrants. My own great grandparents were extremely poor when they immigrated here from Germany, as were most immigrants at that time. My issue is with ANYONE who takes from the system ILLEGALLY - nothing more than that.
Matt-Man, they track angry women on your credit report? Thank goodness I satisfy the ones I meet!
FMD, I like it when you are long-winded!
but granting a blanket amnesty so that those who are here can work without exploitation and yet leaving the door open for more to come and be exploited is a revolving door to hell.
This is my greatest concern with true amnesty. We tried this once before and it didn't work. At the very least our politicians should be able to learn from their mistakes!
I am the office manager for a small construction company. We do not have any immigrants who are employed by us, but recently found that one of our employees (legal citizen) had given an incorrect social security number. It was off by one digit. We recently temporarily laid off some of the guys, and he was one. It took forever to sort this out so he could draw unemployment. Now he has to sort it all out with the social security people in order to make sure his actual social security gets credited properly to "his" fund. What a mess.
I hear ya!
However, every year about 3 months before our birthdays, Lovee and I get a stmt from the SS people. It tells us how much we've earned since we starting working. each year we can compare it to our tax returns. One year we noticed they switched it...I got credit for Lovee's and vice versa. I always thought if someone was earning $$ using our SS#'s we'd know it by that statement.
I'm with you on this though. My heart goes out to all those people who decided to risk their lives to cime here...BUT...that was their choice. My heart goes out to the immigrants who decided to get their citizenship even more though!!
So, in your opinion, which candidate is looking good with regards to this topic?
Yes, Dana, it is disturbing. About ten years ago my wallet was stolen and my credit cards used to make about $3000 in purchases in 4 hours. Thankfully, the culprits (2 college business major sophomores and a middle aged con artist) did not have the opportunity to use my SSAN. Thanks to in-store video and the feelings of guilt by the two sophomores when they realized that they'd ripped of a clergyperson, we caught all of them within 72 hours.
As I read your post, it seems as if the only real winner in all of this is the U.S. Treasury!
Thank You Dana!
I had no idea about this. Unbelievable!!! I hear you on the reason the government is dragging their feet with this situation. It really sucks.
Sorry to hear you were a victim of identity theft. :-( That had to have rocked your world.
Hugs,
Kimmie
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