Did you know that if you lose your social security card, identity theft can ensue? The problem is that these cards have become such an integral part of the lives of Americans that they provide the basis for a whole host of identification.
Yet people still carry them around in their wallets without a thought about what would happen if it was lost or stolen.
When someone gets ahold of your card, they can do a number of things.
First of all, they can use the number itself to apply for credit cards and loans.
Combined with a fake driver's license in your name, there is no end to the number of nefarious things they can do including rent apartments, get jobs, and more.
The first you may know about this situation is when a creditor comes knocking at your door.
You have to present your social security card to the human resource office in order to start a new job.
So, if someone goes in and gets a job in your name and then commits fraud, the police might come after you.
It will probably take some time to straighten this situation out.
If the criminal can get ahold of your date of birth, the problems become even more severe.
If you have found that your social security card has been taken, you need to get an identity theft protection service right away.
They will monitor your financial and personal information to let you know if anything has happened.
It could just be that you lost it and nothing bad will ever happen.
But if it does, you want protection.
If anything does go wrong, then they will fix it with the financial companies and legal authorities.
They may even compensate you for the money you have lost.