Thread: IDs Stolen for Work a Growing Problem

http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld ... 8292.story


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IDs Stolen for Work a Growing Problem

By PETER PRENGAMAN
Associated Press Writer

June 16, 2006, 3:06 PM EDT

DUBLIN, Calif. -- Audra Schmierer's Social Security number really gets around. It has been used by at least 81 people in 17 states, most of them probably illegal immigrants trying to get work.

The federal government took years to discover the number was being used illegally, but authorities took little action even then.

"They knew what was happening but wouldn't do anything," said Schmierer, 33, a housewife in this affluent San Francisco suburb. "One name, one number, why can't they just match it up?"

Her case is an example of an increasingly common problem: Many thieves are able to steal personal information because employers do not have to verify Social Security numbers or other documents submitted by job seekers.

The situation has long drawn fire from anti-illegal immigration groups, but Congress has only recently moved to fix it. Both the House and Senate have passed immigration-reform bills that call for employers to verify Social Security numbers in a national database.

Homeland Security officials have taken it a step further, calling on Congress to allow the Social Security Administration to share information with immigration-enforcement agents at work sites.

Under current law, if the Social Security Administration or the Internal Revenue Service find multiple people using the same Social Security number, the agencies send letters informing employers of possible errors.

The IRS fines employers $50 for each duplicate number, a punishment that companies often dismiss as just another cost of doing business.

"Sending letters is the limit to what can be done," Social Security spokesman Lowell Kepke said. "We expect that will be able to fix any records that are incorrect."

The information on mismatched names is seldom shared with law enforcement agencies.

Schmierer realized she had a problem in February 2005, when she got a statement from the IRS saying she owed $15,813 in back taxes -- even though she had not worked since her son was born in 2000.

Perhaps even more surprising, the taxes were due from jobs in Texas.

Schmierer called the IRS and learned that numerous people were using her Social Security number. Officials said the erroneous balances would be eliminated, but the agency would have to correct the problem again in future years.

"They told me they couldn't do anything else," Schmierer said.

IRS officials declined to talk about Schmierer's case, citing privacy laws.

Schmierer has done a little investigating of her own, combing through tax bills sent to her for names and locations of employers who hired people using her number.

She has also obtained more than 200 W-2 and 1099 tax forms that contained her Social Security number but different names. Schmierer provided copies of the records to The Associated Press.

People used her Social Security number from Florida to Washington state, at construction sites, fast-food restaurants and even major high-tech companies. Some opened bank accounts using the number.

Most of the people worked multiple jobs in the same year, though some remained at the same company for several years. The top wage earner made $39,465, but most reported income of less than $15,000.

Though impossible to verify in every case, information gleaned from criminal investigations, tax documents and other sources suggested that most of the users were probably illegal immigrants.

Schmierer filed a police report after learning one man had used her information in 2003 at janitorial and landscaping companies near Haltom City, Texas.

Investigators found the man, who told officers he had bought a fake Social Security card at a flea market, according to a police report. He was not arrested.

Schmierer tracked down other people, finding that her number had been used to get work but not to access her credit card or bank accounts.

What started as a hassle turned into a major headache earlier this year when she sought work through a temporary agency that learned her Social Security number had been used by a woman in Texas two years earlier. The agency could not hire Schmierer for more than a month while the situation was clarified.

"How do you prove that you are you?" Schmierer said. "It's like you are guilty until proven innocent."

While returning from a trip to Mexico with her husband last year, Schmierer was detained for four hours in a Dallas airport by immigration officials. The reason: a woman using her Social Security number was wanted for a felony.

Schmierer never determined how her number became so widely used. Sellers of fake documents often make up numbers and use them repeatedly.

Schmierer's number became so compromised that Social Security officials finally took a rare step used only in extreme cases: They gave her a new one.

Schmierer hopes that will end her frustrations, but she suspects her old number will continue to be misused.

"It's clear to me that because my number has been used for so long, it's not going to stop," she said.
Copyright 2006 Newsday Inc.

Though impossible to verify in every case, information gleaned from criminal investigations, tax documents and other sources suggested that most of the users were probably illegal immigrants.

Ya think?

Why don't they do something about this (they do not want to, I know). If an ordinary citizen can track down who has been using her number you know the government can, but they have no interest in doing so. Since this number seems to be used often why don't they flag it or something so when it is being used they know something is wrong since it is now a bogus number since she recieved a new one. Although they allow the use of 000-00-0000 so why would they bother. I saw other news today that the SS number of all zeros has been used 40 million times.

I would have told them to keep the illegals number and not to bother giving me another one and I have no interested in having another SS number.

This is so sad. It's only a matter of time before they start using mine, I guess. Oh, but people think this isn't a problem. Sigh. I had a friend who quit her job in human resources for a fruit packing company because she kept turning away people who were trying to use fake social security numbers to get work. She called and checked each one and they kept coming back bad. She would tell them, "Sorry your ID is no good." Her boss said, "You have to hire them." She couldn't hire people she knew were illegal so she quit. How sad is that.

Sorry your ID is no good." Her boss said, "You have to hire them." She couldn't hire people she knew were illegal so she quit. How sad is that.

She should have obtained permission from the Social Security Administration to confiscated the cards, much like a credit card company will do with cancelled cards. Why is it so hard to get a handle on this?

It would not be hard to get a handle on this and very quickly!!! Your idea of confiscating cards is a great idea. Enforcing the laws that are right now on the books would go a long way toward solving this problem.

The fact is the powers that be do not want to stop this, they in fact want it to continue.

We just got notice from VA that my husband's information may have been compromised in the latest data loss. Thanks, GWB!! Great job your administration is doing! Let the illegals in, give them carte blanche and then "lose" active and veteran military members' info to subject THEM to all sorts of nefarious activities.

They just did a radio interview with this woman on the John and Ken Show today. I sure hope they archive the interview on their web site since the article doesn't do her story justice compared to how she told it. Really amazing to hear it directly from the person whose life was turned into a living hell by people coming here for a better life. It's obvious that the government can care less about identity theft by illegals on American citizens. In fact I don't give out my SSN to anyone if I can help it and if they insist I make one up. The system is completely broken.

John and Ken put up an mp3 file of the audio interview for anyone that wants to hear it.


http://2005.kfi640.com/cc-common/mlib/6 ... 755856.mp3