SSN issue

[spartaman64]

My parents lost my ssn card but they say they have a document with my ssn on it and told me the number so I've been using that to file taxes etc etc. I was trying to apply for citizenship but they told me I need to register for the selective service so I tried to at sss.gov and the website says my ssn is invalid. I tried to apply for a new ssn card online at ssa.gov using the ssn my parents told me is mine and in the security questions it says I may have opened a retail credit line in december 2016 and i didnt. they said i might have opened an installment account in 2018 idk what an installment account even is and it asked me to select my phone number and none of the phone numbers they listed is mine so i selected none of the above to all the questions and got this message. 

ssa.gov also asked me for my legal name and address so it would have told me if those conflicted with my ssn right? What should I do now?

[IkeaGnome]

There's a few tools you can use online to confirm your SSN. I've never had to use one though as luckily mine is super easy to memorize. 

https://www.e-verify.gov/mye-verify/self-check

Here is what looks like the simplest one that I found with a quick search.

[spartaman64]

7 minutes ago, Voluspa said:

There's a few tools you can use online to confirm your SSN. I've never had to use one though as luckily mine is super easy to memorize. 

https://www.e-verify.gov/mye-verify/self-check

Here is what looks like the simplest one that I found with a quick search.

um in the quiz it says i applied for an auto loan in april 2017 i didnt and i dont have a car. it also says i applied for a mortgage but i dont have a house and none of the bank checking numbers matches mine

[Kisai]

22 minutes ago, spartaman64 said:

My parents lost my ssn card but they say they have a document with my ssn on it and told me the number so I've been using that to file taxes etc etc. I was trying to apply for citizenship but they told me I need to register for the selective service so I tried to at sss.gov and the website says my ssn is invalid. I tried to apply for a new ssn card online at ssa.gov using the ssn my parents told me is mine and in the security questions it says I may have opened a retail credit line in december 2016 and i didnt. they said i might have opened an installment account in 2018 idk what an installment account even is and it asked me to select my phone number and none of the phone numbers they listed is mine so i selected none of the above to all the questions and got this message. 

ssa.gov also asked me for my legal name and address so it would have told me if those conflicted with my ssn right? What should I do now?

You can do a free credit check on yourself to confirm what it's asking.

 

I don't believe you can ever get "new" SSN cards, as they're assigned once. But it's entirely possible that the number you've been using to file taxes might have been fraudulently used for something, so do a credit check on yourself.

 

[IkeaGnome]

3 minutes ago, spartaman64 said:

 

um in the quiz it says i applied for an auto loan in april 2017 i didnt and i dont have a car. it also says i applied for a mortgage but i dont have a house and none of the bank checking numbers matches mine

Give this site a go and see if they can help you. Sounds like that number was used in the past.

https://www.identitytheft.gov/

 

https://www.experian.com/blogs/ask-experian/3-steps-to-take-if-your-social-security-number-has-been-stolen/

Here's a site with some stuff that the government will probably have you do anyways. Not sure how it works with getting one later on through immigration though.

[Raymonf]

What they usually do is crosscheck with the major credit bureaus to create security questions. There are three possibilities here:

1. The site was throwing random questions (which you should have answered "I did not" for) in order to confirm your identity
2. Your parents committed identity fraud and opened loans under your SSN
3. Your SSN was in a breach and someone else committed identity fraud

There's a possibility that your SSN isn't even your SSN, too. Could you ask your parents to just double check that document of theirs?

[spartaman64]

5 minutes ago, Raymonf said:

What they usually do is crosscheck with the major credit bureaus to create security questions. There are three possibilities here:

1. The site was throwing random questions (which you should have answered "I did not" for) in order to confirm your identity
2. Your parents committed identity fraud and opened loans under your SSN
3. Your SSN was in a breach and someone else committed identity fraud

There's a possibility that your SSN isn't even your SSN, too. Could you ask your parents to just double check that document of theirs?

i did answer none of the above for all of the questions and idk they would have told me if my legal name and address conflicts with the ssn when i file taxes and stuff right?

inb4 i find out im millions of dollars in debt from loans my parents opened with my ssn monkaS.
like i never used my ssn for anything until now so idk how it could have been stolen

[Raymonf]

6 minutes ago, spartaman64 said:

i did answer none of the above for all of the questions and idk they would have told me if my legal name and address conflicts with the ssn when i file taxes and stuff right?

Nope, the IRS doesn't care. They just want their money, regardless of how they get it.

[TetraSky]

I'd suggest calling or visit a Social Security office to find out whether or not the SSN you've been using since forever was yours or not. 

Since your parents lost the card, it is quite possible that someone else found it and has been using it.

 

Quote

If you have questions or need help understanding how to request your replacement Social Security card online, call our toll-free number at 1-800-772-1213 or visit your Social Security office. If you are deaf or hard of hearing, call our toll-free TTY number, 1-800-325-0778, between 8:00 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.

 

You can also send an email

https://secure.ssa.gov/emailus/

 

 

They are more likely to be able to help you, than us.

 

[The1Dickens]

22 minutes ago, Kisai said:

I don't believe you can ever get "new" SSN cards

You can get replacement cards (they are only terrible paper, and you're not legally allowed to laminate them) in the US, but it costs a bit, and you are only allowed 3 in your whole lifetime (according to the last time I had to get mine replaced).

 

18 minutes ago, Raymonf said:

Your parents committed identity fraud and opened loans under your SSN

This is entirely possible. Parents use their kids' SSNs to get around utility service bills when they get too large in their own name. Reddit has plenty of threads of kids suing the spit out of their parents for it, too. Or parents using their kid's SSN to "open an account and build your credit early, but don't worry, we will pay it off."

 

21 minutes ago, Raymonf said:

Your SSN was in a breach and someone else committed identity fraud

This one is easy enough to check, actually, as I recall there is a website that tells you if your information was leaked.

18 minutes ago, spartaman64 said:

inb4 i find out im millions of dollars in debt from loans my parents opened with my ssn monkaS.
like i never used my ssn for anything until now so idk how it could have been stolen

Since your SSN is applied at birth (supposedly? Not 100 per cent on this), You have 16 years of life where you likely never even knew it existed, or even what it was for, and it could have been used that entire time for fraud. Also, all you have to do is prove that you couldn't have possibly accrued that debt, it isn't yours, and after an arduous fight, you'll be clean. Though, your parents may go to jail for fraud, but that's not your problem.

[SansVarnic]

20 minutes ago, spartaman64 said:

like i never used my ssn for anything until now so idk how it could have been stolen

Happens more often than you think.

My dad used to work for the IRS, best thing you can do at this point is to contact the via the identity theft dept. It will take time to sort out and issue you with a new number.

 

@TetraSky has provided you with the best answer. A Social Security Representative you can meet with will be your best option.

[dalekphalm]

16 minutes ago, The1Dickens said:

You can get replacement cards (they are only terrible paper, and you're not legally allowed to laminate them) in the US, but it costs a bit, and you are only allowed 3 in your whole lifetime (according to the last time I had to get mine replaced).

 

This is entirely possible. Parents use their kids' SSNs to get around utility service bills when they get too large in their own name. Reddit has plenty of threads of kids suing the spit out of their parents for it, too. Or parents using their kid's SSN to "open an account and build your credit early, but don't worry, we will pay it off."

 

This one is easy enough to check, actually, as I recall there is a website that tells you if your information was leaked.

Since your SSN is applied at birth (supposedly? Not 100 per cent on this), You have 16 years of life where you likely never even knew it existed, or even what it was for, and it could have been used that entire time for fraud. Also, all you have to do is prove that you couldn't have possibly accrued that debt, it isn't yours, and after an arduous fight, you'll be clean. Though, your parents may go to jail for fraud, but that's not your problem.

It sounds like the OP is an immigrant. They were applying for Citizenship (awesome!). 
 

Im not sure how it works in the US but I assume you are granted a SSN upon permanent resident status being granted. 
 

Even if the parents lost the card itself, there should be SOME kind of documentation that came with the card. 
 

Sidenote: that was incredibly irresponsible of the parents to lose their kids (arguably) most important document. 
 

The OP needs to find out if the SSN they’ve been using is even theirs, and get a replacement card issued ASAP. 

[The1Dickens]

4 minutes ago, dalekphalm said:

It sounds like the OP is an immigrant. They were applying for Citizenship (awesome!). 

Ah, I guess i missed that part. I thought they were already a citizen, because of the note of registering for the draft (all US citizens are required to register on or by their 18th birthday, or something like that).

 

6 minutes ago, dalekphalm said:

The OP needs to find out if the SSN they’ve been using is even theirs, and get a replacement card issued ASAP.

Yes, this is important.

[spartaman64]

6 minutes ago, dalekphalm said:

It sounds like the OP is an immigrant. They were applying for Citizenship (awesome!). 
 

Im not sure how it works in the US but I assume you are granted a SSN upon permanent resident status being granted. 
 

Even if the parents lost the card itself, there should be SOME kind of documentation that came with the card. 
 

Sidenote: that was incredibly irresponsible of the parents to lose their kids (arguably) most important document. 
 

The OP needs to find out if the SSN they’ve been using is even theirs, and get a replacement card issued ASAP. 

yep they lost my green card before also and i had to get a new one which btw i applied for using that ssn so they would have denied it if it wasnt the right ssn right?

[dalekphalm]

3 minutes ago, spartaman64 said:

yep they lost my green card before also and i had to get a new one which btw i applied for using that ssn so they would have denied it if it wasnt the right ssn right?

You cannot rely on the fact that you've been using that SSN before, as proof that it's the "right" SSN. You NEED to get the number verified ASAP - as suggested above, going, in person, to a Social Security office is likely the best option. In person, because you can talk to a real person face to face and it'll be easier to explain the situation and find out exactly what steps, in what order, you need to take to:

1. Verify the SSN itself (make sure the one you're using is in fact yours)

2. Get a replacement Card

3. Deal with any potential fraud/identify theft

 

Yikes, they lost your Green Card, then your SSN? Please tell me you've taken ownership of all other important documents? And you've already replaced the Green Card with a new one? Without the Green Card, how do you prove you're a permanent resident? If you leave the country, you might get refused re-entry without proper proof.

[spartaman64]

3 minutes ago, dalekphalm said:

You cannot rely on the fact that you've been using that SSN before, as proof that it's the "right" SSN. You NEED to get the number verified ASAP - as suggested above, going, in person, to a Social Security office is likely the best option. In person, because you can talk to a real person face to face and it'll be easier to explain the situation and find out exactly what steps, in what order, you need to take to:

1. Verify the SSN itself (make sure the one you're using is in fact yours)

2. Get a replacement Card

3. Deal with any potential fraud/identify theft

 

Yikes, they lost your Green Card, then your SSN? Please tell me you've taken ownership of all other important documents? And you've already replaced the Green Card with a new one? Without the Green Card, how do you prove you're a permanent resident? If you leave the country, you might get refused re-entry without proper proof.

they lost my passport 7 years ago also but yeah im keeping my passport and green card now

[dalekphalm]

4 minutes ago, spartaman64 said:

they lost my passport 7 years ago also but yeah im keeping my passport and green card now

If you don't already, I recommend keeping things like your Green Card, SSN, birth certificate, etc (super important legal docs that you don't need on a daily basis) in a fire-proof lockbox or safe. You can buy one at a local hardware store (lockboxes are pretty cheap, fire proof safes are more expensive). As an alternative, you could rent a safe-deposit box at a local bank.

 

In addition to that, buy yourself a locking filing cabinet. A simple 1 or 2 drawer unit will do the trick. You can get them at any office supply store, like Staples, plus at places like Walmart and Best Buy. Start filing your own documents, as needed. Stuff like Credit Card statements (when you get one), government paperwork (aside from crucial stuff like SSN), taxes, loans, etc. I'd also file receipts (or scan them) for warranty reasons.

 

Your parents are obviously not responsible enough to take care of these things for you. Start young and build the habit of organizing this stuff, and it'll save you grief in the future.