Social Security Numbers Compromised — What to Do?

Oh yes, my security company informed me my SS number is on the dark web with 2 billion others

Imagine when they will introduce the Digital Currency how easy will be to empty your bank account and leave you with no money. No Company is safe at this point no matter what they say. The safety for our accounts is not their priority as they say. They don't really care for safety at all. What they really care is to collect as many information as they can and deposit them in their data base. Now they push for Digital I.D. They are suffocating us with Digital everything. It will come a time when we will not have a real identity because everything and everybody will be displayed as you and me. What a mess with this digital life. Trust those Corporations? NEVER.

Freezing Credit Report does not guarantee anything. Banks don’t have to check Credit Report to open a bank account for anyone!

Why did they put a pin number on all Social Security numbers very simple

You can lock your SS too

https://myaccount.uscis.gov/create-account

Leo… I have a Credit Freeze with the Big Three Credit Bureaus & SS Lock. I use 1Password with long & complicated passwords & notifications when my Debit/Credit cards are used. I’m retired is it possible to “Lock Down” my Medicare Number?

I just found your video. Thanks for doing it. You might also recommend people lock their social security number. It’s done through the E-Verify system and will prevent someone (think illegals) from buying all of your data from a hacker and getting a job using that data. Eventually you’ll have IRS problems you don’t want.

My moms facebook acc got hacked

Great advice, thank you. It’s so infuriating that we take all kinds of precautions to safeguard our data, and corporations like National Public Data allow these kinds of security breaches to happen.

You can lock your Social Security number. There is a video on YouTube by Laptop Seniors that walks you through locking and unlocking your Social Security number through myeverify.uscis.gov which does not involve going to the credit bureaus.

The world is coming to a end what's happening dont know what's on its scarer.

Really not sure how tech folks think youth is more tech savvy, or folks in general. Years ago UI’s were watered down to make more user ‘friendly’ and sometimes lazy or non-tech savvy easy in conjunction with > email and nearly every app was free! Ex-tech person, the illusion that folks felt comfortable receiving something for nothing was mind blowing. We are ALL paying for it now in some form/fashion. As an ex-tech, it’s unreal how much digital maintenance is required to actually be digital. Folks didn’t understand basic files system and they ‘kind of do now’.?But the way technology is interconnected is still bleak common knowledge. We just throw out these “just do this or do that” at complex and damaging scenarios happening in real time and normalizing it all. Companies/businesses (strictly) (non-brick and mortar) digitally doing business (primarily financial), not having to safe guard the business they entice you and profit from you to do business with still seems insane. E.g. Customers contacting their financial institution because of questionable activity > and the bank evades responsibility in controlling the transaction or FDIC is not applicable. Backing up (pun intended locally seems odd for folks) to tech industry being supported by the users via fee based services and not paying with your personal information would be ideal.

Sound and sage advice in scary times. As I always say be alert and pay attention to everything and everyone.

Liron Segev posted a video about 3 weeks ago promoting a data protection service. I'm not in any way recommending that service and I don't use it, but you can enter your phone number (and only your phone number) and you will be amazed at what they know about you. For me, my wife, and two adult kids there are SSN, birthdates, previous addresses, previous phone numbers, familiar contacts, spouses, etc. My number also listed my son and daughter's relationship to me. I have since frozen my credit.

Pray.

If the government worked the way it should, they would have systematically reissued everyone a new social.

My info has been in every data breach I can remember. T-Mobile, Yahoo, the VA, etc. Luckily for me, all my personal information (email addresses, physical addresses, phone numbers) on those databases are SO out of date and has been mixed up with several distant relatives to the point where it’s all very inaccurate.

I did backend development for an identity theft protection provider that was acquired by Experian, and worked for Experian several years after the acquisition.

There is one step you can take if you're able to navigate the tedious SSA website -- you can have SSA attach a pin number to your SSN. During the early part of each year, a bad actor may attempt to use your SSN to steal whatever tax refund you may be due. Attaching a pin number to your SSN blocks this exploit.

As you suggest, you should freeze your credit accounts. Each of the major credit bureaus (Equifax, Experian, and Transunion) allows you to freeze your credit accounts, and doing so on any one of those immediately applies it to the others (the credit bureaus are required to do this by federal law). I use Experian and not the others. Once your accounts are frozen, no new credit accounts can be opened in your name and you will be notified of any attempt to unfreeze them. You are able to temporarily lift the freeze when you apply for a new account.

Also as you suggest, you should NEVER EVER click through ANY link on a received email. Similarly, do not respond to ANY phone messages or texts. If an email or text concerns you, then use an independent source to connect to the affected provider and investigate. These are almost always fake.

I'm now more than skeptical...bordering on feeling paranoid and seek info, not react to requests/emails. Any doubt, contact the real source not from the specific received email but in a different legitimate way: call, email direct to xxxx, request from inside real xxxx web site. etc.

Thanks Leo

The basic problem is how much information we're required to hand over to corporations and the government. The question is when and how much of it will be leaked, not if. Centralization creates honeypots and central points of failure. We're not really free and sovereign if we do not control our data. It's necessary to be protected against both private and state criminals.

My info was part of that huge data breach. Now every few days I get an email from a different gmail address, with a pdf that includes my name address and phone number and describing how they have hacked my webcam and have compromising pictures of me which they will send to everyone on my contact list if I do not pay them a specified amount in bitcoin. Look up 'sextortion' or 'extortion scams'. What makes them even more devious is that they include Google StreetView image of a road near my house. In my case, it's not my actual house or street because neither currently appear on Google StreetView. I could see if it were a picture of someone's actual house, it would appear very intimidating. Having your name and address enables them to do that.
It's been going on for a few months now, maybe 3 or 4 such emails. I just keep ignoring them. So far no one in my contact list has called to compliment me on my awesome body and "video skills" 😉 😂

I heard it was easy to freeze and unfreeze your account. Also, do I need to do this at all bureau's or will one suffice. Yes, I could research this myself but that would help the Leo's YT algorithm.

You should have a credit freeze on at all times. Remove it only when you require. It is not complicated at all. You do have to plan ahead if you need to unlock it, but it's not extremely complicated.

I bookmark all my financial sites and use the bookmark to respond to email information from the institution (and to verify the information in it is legitimate). If the email refers to something like a bill pay 3rd party, I use the bookmark to the (supposedly) initiating company and try to get to the payment or notification from there - I'll call or chat with official help resources from the known site, if I can't verify the information with any other method.

What I find troubling is that we never hear closure to these breaches.

-- There are logs, galore, that computers keep.
-- There are logs, galore, that tech companies use for physical access to secure areas.
-- There are videos, galore, of all sensitive (physical) work spaces.

Yet, we never hear that [First Name] [Last Name] has been arrested and charged with [Crime Name].
We never hear that [First Name] [Last Name] has been fired.

We never hear how someone was able to access the supposedly secure records.

From what location did the suspect perform the illegal act?
Did they have remote access to obtain the supposedly secure records?

Was there encryption with the supposedly secure data?
If yes, then how did the suspect bypass or break the encryption?
If no, then why was there no encryption?

It is beyond the pale that such wildly serious crimes are committed, and aside from hearing about them, we are never told who did what and how.
Who was fired? Who was charged with a crime? What was breached? Was the crack in the system sealed? Or will the same thing happen again?

We basically know nothing, and that is almost as disturbing as the crime -- and is, perhaps, itself a crime (a cover-up).

Leo, I skipped to the "to do" section due to knew the rest. Maybe you covered to FREEZE one's credit reporting on all 3 agencies. Not lock but freeze. It's free by law. Freeze stops new accounts being made. If one wants to make a new account just unfreeze then remember to refreeze.

Thanks Leo!!!! you made me feel a little more relaxed about the breach!!! :)

✅ Watch next ▶ Phishing: How to Know It When You See It ▶ https://youtu.be/oXF-5I9D0lA

Would someone explain to an ignorant Englishman, why the SSN is so sensitive? I realise that the more peripheral data they have about you (Mother's maiden name, first school, etc) the better it is for them. But why is the SSN so special? I've seen earlier scams I think where scammers sad they had "cancelled" someone's SSN and demanded a ransom. Is there more to it than simply a reference number that officialdom identifies you by? My UK National Insurance Number is too boring to be worth worrying about. Thanks for any help.

I am trying to recover my account and Google is sending OTP to my same Gmail account


I forget password
That's why I am trying to record my account
Fast Google verify me with my recovery/two step authentication phone number
OTP verification complete then

The main problem comes

Google is sending OTP to my Gmail that I am trying to recover