Stolen social security number of newborn

[ssnscam]

Jurisdiction

Florida

I was blessed with a new son a few weeks ago and couldn't be more thrilled. His social security card didn't arrive for a few weeks and I chalked this up to government inefficiency. But then the darndest thing happened. I was notified that the little guy had the brilliance I did not expect and had already applied for a credit card. I suspected that my tyke was not that smart just yet and that the card was stolen in the mail. Doing a quick search it appears that the social security office actually mails these cards out with the envelope labeled on the outside to let people know it's an important piece of mail? Might as well put big letters on the envelope saying "not junk mail - CASH inside".

I live pretty far from the federal government office where they want me to come in person with all my documents, etc. to get the process started so I can get another SSN. Is there any more efficient way to do this or something I can do so that all I have to do is come down to the office to pick up the card in person?

 

[Michael Wechsler]

Congratulations on the birth of your new child. I'd focus on that joy rather than the pain of government dysfunction. Stolen SSN cards seems to be more common than I thought after doing a quick search.

I'm not sure if you can get a new SSN. This is from the Social Security Administration: What documents are required to request a replacement Social Security number (SSN) card for a child?

It seems as though they will provide you with a replacement card and that anything else you would like to accomplish, such as a new number, would be best done and potentially only accomplished in person. I couldn't find any specific documentation or information relating to changes of SSN. You will probably need to file a police report and also provice proof of this to the SSA. I'll find out from a friend how he handled his case, which is similar to yours.

 

[Tax Counsel]

The last time I checked SSA will allow you to get one SSN change in your lifetime. That was before the present administration so I don't for sure if they still do it. However, I don't that's something that's hit their radar yet. The problem with that is if you do that now you'll have used his one time change, and he may need that sometime later in life. That should be a last resort. For the reasons I explain below you'll probably never need to do that.

The good news is that since your son is a new born kid he doesn't have any bank accounts or financial accounts that the crook can get. It can be a pain to get any bad debt off his credit record but, again, it should be easier to convince creditors that your son's SSN was stolen because he was just recently born. Your son probably won't need to apply for any loans in the near future so you'll have the time you need to get it off his credit record before it would affect him. Note that under the federal law Fair Credit Reporting Act, credit bureaus and other companies that maintain "consumer reports" must purge most negative items from their reports no later than 7½ years after it became delinquent. The one exception to that rule is that reports of bankruptcy stay on credit reports up to 10 years. Your kid (with you as guardian) are entitled to one free credit report every year that will not impact his credit score. So you can monitor the credit reports and see what shows up there so you can take care of it.

It's very unlikely that the crook will use it for very long. Once the bad debts hit the credit report lenders will deny loans and then the SSN will be worthless to them and they'll move on to their next targets. With that in mind, it might not be a bad idea to let the debts sit on the credit report before getting them removed. If your son won't need credit until he's a teen or older those debts will be off his credit report long before that. Until he needs credit, there's no rush to get it cleaned up right away. I'm not thinking of waiting for years to do it. Several months of bad credit on there may be all it takes for the theif to dump your son's SSN. You could get a credit report 6-9 months from now and see if there are any real recent additions to it. If it's been a few months since debt has hit the credit report that theif has probably moved on.

I think it would be a good idea for you to contact the agency in your state that handles consumer rights and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), which is the federal agency that deals with this kind of thing. The link I provided goes right to the agency's page about credit reports and credit scores.

Your state may have additional protection and both agencies may have recommendations for you of the best thing to do. Consulting an attorney who handles consumer rights matters may worthwhile at some point, too.

 

[Michael Wechsler]

Great advice on addressing from @Tax Counsel. Per discussion with my friend, he told me that he had to go into the Social Security offices in person and you absolutely want to have an appointment with them. You can wait for hours there and not have a resolution because it becomes too late in the day. He needed a letter from the doctor regarding the birth (don't know more details) in addition to the birth certificate of the child. Make sure to call and have all documents you need before proceeding.

I was also informed that there was no ability to obtain a replacement social security number or it wasn't discussed. At this point, the best may be to obtain a copy of the actual card. For those who do not even have the social security number, providing a birth certificate should enable the SSA to release the number to the parent prior to obtaining a physical copy of the card.

Sorry to hear about the rought start. I'm sure it's all a great ride from here!