In today’s day and age in the United States where almost everyone uses the Internet for everything, protecting our Social Security card can be a bit of a challenge. In a very short time our number can be stolen and then sold. Fraudsters can then use this number to perform many different processes.
Protecting this Social Security number should be a priority for us. It doesn’t matter if we have a disability or retirement age benefit, scammers will always try to get our money. So the Social Security Administration reminds us that protecting this number is paramount to our own protection.
If we learn how to protect our Social Security card, we can have more peace of mind against scammers. This way we will have a more relaxed life and be able to cash our retirement check every month without the fear of the money disappearing.
How do we protect our Social Security card?
There are several general tips that will help us avoid scammers. If we have a Social Security number it means we have a card. So the first thing we need to do is not laminate the card. It may seem counterproductive, but it is necessary to do so. The card has characteristics that can only be seen if it is not laminated.
So laminating the card may cause us to have problems when an authority verifies the authenticity of our card. Apart from this, protecting yourself from fraudsters can be done by learning the memory card number. If we know the Social Security number, we can leave the card at home, so no one will be able to steal it.
Always having the card in a safe place makes it inaccessible to thieves. Also, we should not write the Social Security number on any other paper. It is advisable not to carry any document in our pockets where this number appears, even if it is encrypted.
Another tip to protect ourselves from scammers is not to say our number out loud in public. If someone asks us for our number in the street, we should refuse to give it to them. We are under no obligation to do so.
Among the scammers we can also encounter phone calls from them. This strategy consists of trying to get our information through extortion by telephone. Social Security workers will never extort money from U.S. citizens and will never ask you for information over the phone.
In the event that we believe someone is extorting us over the phone, we should immediately report it to the Social Security Administration. Unfortunately, these practices are very famous nowadays and many pensioners fall into the trap. Pay attention to everything and don’t let scammers steal your Social Security card and number.