The Cure For ID Theft

I’ve been reading horror stories about people who had their identity stolen, mostly with the use of fake SS cards, sometimes with their real name on it, others with a different name, their number or a combination of several gimmicks. In either case the victims went trough a lot of headaches to prove bogus charges made, or not having worked at certain places, including encounters with not-so-friendly debt collectors or IRS agents asking for money they never owed.

It seems to me that the time has come to call the SS card what really is: An ID. Since almost everything we do, from obtaining credit to secure a job and all maters related to financial issues, including also routine and benign moves such as getting a drivers license, we must as well go all the way and declare the SS card our national ID.

I know, that was not the intended use for this document, but the reality shows the SS card has become a de facto ID, accepted and most often than not required by everyone from banks to employers and everything in between.

Given this, I’d propose to include in the card a picture of the bearer and also some electronic link, chip, magnetic or somehow embedded, to the SS office, issuer of such card.

Today’s computers, with a modest and cheap terminal attached at the employers‘ office, banks, consumer agencies and other commercial interests could provide immediate confirmation of the validity of the card on the spot. Even small businesses can afford this type of terminal so there will be no excuse not to verify the authenticity of the card.

This, as a bonus, could improve the efficiency in matters related to national security at airport terminals, ticket counters and any other place where ID must be proven.

Will this eradicate the problem totally? Probably not. Thieves haven proven to be a creative bunch and some employers will still hire people even when the information does not match. However, once a system like the one I mention is in full swing, there will be no more guessing in determining who’s responsible for the misuse of the card. The party granting a loan, opening an account, hiring someone, etc. will have a hard time explaining why, having compared the picture with the bearer and having swiped the card to obtain confirmation, the non-matching ID was accepted as real.

While some States are working on the ID issue with improved driver’s licenses and such, the SS card is a better alternative due to the uniqueness of it. There can be no two numbers alike, from birth to the grave. Therefore, once implemented, any State and everyone in it can have the assurance of a real ID procedure for business and legal purposes.

To those who may cry Big Brother! I say that I’m not advocating to show this to others who have no need for it, as in the case of a traffic stop for example, where the only required document should be a valid driver license and proof of insurance, or when going to a club for over 21, buying liquor, and many other activities where traditionally a State ID is the norm. This new SS card should be required in the same manner as it is now, for banking, tax purposes, employment, credit requests, etc. I’m not advocating for an expanded use of the card, I’m simply offering an idea to make it secure and avoid excuses from those responsible to verify it.