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Did Scammers Get Your SSN? Here’s What To Do
As soon as you think your Social Security number (SSN) has been compromised, you should immediately:
- Freeze your credit with all three major credit bureaus (Experian, Equifax, TransUnion)
- Create an identity theft affidavit by reporting the crime to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) at IdentityTheft.gov and then with your local law enforcement
- Contact your bank and ask to cancel your accounts and debit and credit cards (and have new ones issued to you)
- Secure your online accounts with strong and unique passwords, two-factor authentication (2FA), and updated backup contact details
- Continue to monitor your sensitive information and accounts for signs of fraud
Your SSN is one of your most sensitive pieces of personal information. Scammers use stolen and leaked SSNs to open new bank accounts, take out fraudulent loans, and access their victims’ other online accounts.
In this guide, we’ll cover how to know if someone is using your SSN — and provide you with the most important steps to take if your SSN was leaked. We’ll also show you how to stay safe from identity thieves.
How To Know If Someone Is Using Your SSN
Scammers can gain access to your SSN in a number of ways — from data breaches, phishing scams, and hacked online accounts to stealing your physical Social Security card or buying it on Dark Web marketplaces.
Unfortunately, it’s not always easy to know if your SSN has been compromised until you see the warning signs of identity theft.
Here are some of the most common red flags indicating that your SSN was leaked or is being used by scammers:
- You receive a data breach alert that your SSN was leaked
- You accidentally gave up your SSN over the phone, or via text messages, email, social media, or on a suspicious website
- You receive messages or phone calls about debts, accounts, or credit cards that you didn’t open
- Your credit score suddenly drops, or you discover unfamiliar information on your credit files
- You’re unable to file your taxes because someone already has filed them in your name
- You receive earning records or notifications about a job you didn’t apply for
- You stop receiving phone calls and texts on your phone
- You can’t access your online accounts
These are just some of the signs that your SSN — and your identity — have been compromised. You can also see if your information is at risk by using Aura’s free Dark Web scanner.
12 Steps To Take If Scammers Have Your SSN
- Freeze your credit with all three bureaus
- Report the crime to the FTC and local police
- Contact your bank and other financial institutions
- Place an extended fraud alert on your credit file
- Check your Social Security statement
- Submit a Social Security fraud report
- “Lock” your SSN by using the SSA’s service
- Check your credit reports and statements for fraud
- Contact all impacted companies and government agencies
- Dispute fraudulent transactions and accounts
- Be on the lookout for future scams
- Sign up for SSN monitoring
Your first steps when you’ve been tricked into sharing your SSN with a scammer should be to minimize the damage, report the crime, and then clean up your accounts.
Here’s a step-by-step guide on what to do:
1. Freeze your credit with all three bureaus
Scammers can use your stolen SSN to take out loans or open new accounts in your name. Requesting a credit freeze is one of the only ways to prevent anyone from accessing your credit files — and opening unauthorized accounts in your name.
To freeze your credit, you need to contact each of the three major credit bureaus individually (Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion).
Here’s how to contact each of the major bureaus to freeze your credit:
A credit freeze is free, stays in effect until you lift it (by using the PIN you’re provided with when you enable the freeze), and it won’t affect your credit score.
2. Report the crime to the FTC and local police
According to the FTC, an official identity theft affidavit can be used to prove your innocence, report the crime to impacted companies, and dispute fraudulent transactions. Many companies may require both an FTC and police report in order to act on the crime — so it’s a good idea to file both.
- File an identity theft report with the FTC online at IdentityTheft.gov or by calling 1-877-438-4338. You’ll receive a personalized recovery plan and documentation to help you dispute fraudulent debts and accounts. You can also help the FTC by providing information about the scam to ReportFraud.ftc.gov.
- Report identity theft to your local law enforcement. Police departments typically only want to take identity theft reports if victims have information that could lead to an arrest. However, some companies require a police report to cancel fraudulent accounts.
- File IRS Form 14039 with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) along with your paper tax return. This form tells the IRS that you’re the victim of identity theft and to be on the lookout for duplicate returns in your name or other tax-related identity crimes. You can also call the IRS’s Identity Protection Specialized Unit at 1-800-908-4490.
3. Contact your bank and other financial institutions
Scammers may have used your SSN to find or access your financial information and make transfers or withdrawals from your bank accounts.
If you even suspect identity theft, immediately contact your financial institutions and cancel your accounts and credit and debit cards, and have new ones issued to you.
⚠️ Only contact your bank by using the phone number listed on the back of your bank cards or via an official app. Scammers often send phishing emails and texts claiming to be from your bank with false contact information.
4. Place an extended fraud alert on your credit file
After filing an official identity theft affidavit, you can request an extended fraud alert on your credit files. This is an additional layer of protection that tells credit agencies to confirm your identity before extending credit.
Extended fraud alerts are available to victims of identity theft and last for seven years (or until lifted).
You only need to contact one of the three major bureaus to request an extended fraud alert — by law, each bureau is required to pass your request on to the other two.
Do you need a fraud alert if you already froze your credit? Yes. Most people will need to lift their credit freezes at some point to take out a mortgage or loan or open a new account. An extended fraud alert ensures that you have protection in place even if your credit files are “thawed.” For extra protection, consider a three-bureau credit monitoring provider like Aura.
5. Check your Social Security statement
If criminals used your SSN to gain employment, it will appear on your Social Security statement. You may also receive W-2s or other supposed proof of employment for businesses where you’ve never worked.
According to the Social Security Administration (SSA), you can check your Social Security statement online by signing up for a my Social Security account.
📚 Related: How To Find Out If Someone Is Illegally Using Your Name →
6. Submit a Social Security fraud report
If you believe or know that someone is using your SSN for illegal employment or to misuse benefits, you can report Social Security identity theft to the SSA Office of the Inspector General (OIG).
Gather as much information as you can before calling them (at 1-800-269-0271) or submitting a report online at secure.ssa.gov/oig/fraud.
7. “Lock” your SSN by using the myE-Verify service
myE-Verify is a service provided by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and Department of Homeland Security that allows employers to verify the employment eligibility of new hires.
You can use your myE-Verify account to “Self Lock” your SSN, which tells employers that your number isn’t eligible for employment opportunities.
While not all employers use myE-Verify (or follow its guidance), this can help prevent scammers from using your SSN to gain unlawful employment.
An SSN lock won’t prevent scammers from using your SSN for all purposes, but it can save you from the headache of dealing with employment identity theft.
📚 Related: Victim of Fraud? Here’s Your Recovery Checklist →
8. Check your credit reports and statements for fraud
If scammers used your SSN to take out loans or open new accounts, it will show up on your credit reports.
Every American is entitled to free weekly credit reports from all three major bureaus online by visiting AnnualCreditReport.com. Check your credit reports for incorrect personal information, unfamiliar accounts and hard inquiries, and other suspicious activity.
9. Contact all impacted companies and government agencies
Contact any company, lender, or government agency at which you know your SSN was fraudulently used. Ask to speak to their fraud department and explain the situation. You may be asked for your FTC report as proof that your identity was stolen.
This includes:
- Banks and other financial institutions
- Credit card companies
- Debt collectors hassling you over fraudulent debts
- Companies where your SSN was used to open a new account
- Your mobile phone provider
- Department of motor vehicles (DMV)
- Internal Revenue Service (IRS)
- Healthcare providers (by asking for an “accounting of disclosures”)
10. Dispute fraudulent transactions and accounts
If you discover fraudulent transactions, withdrawals, or account numbers during your investigation, you’ll need to dispute them with the companies that issued them as well as with the credit agencies.
- Contact the fraud department at each impacted vendor. This includes companies, banks, payday loan issuers, utilities, and cell phone providers. Use this credit dispute letter template.
- Dispute the fraud with the credit agencies. Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), you can dispute any unfamiliar account, hard inquiry, or other incorrect information on your credit reports.
- Request information from debt collectors. By law, debt collectors are required to provide all information about debts in your name. Use this information to verify and dispute the debt.
11. Be on the lookout for future scams
Fraudsters can target you at any moment — even days, weeks, months, or years after your SSN has been leaked. That’s why it’s so important to be on the lookout for scams.
While scams are constantly changing and evolving, there are a few golden rules when it comes to staying safe against fraudsters:
- Be cautious of any unsolicited contact. Emails, phone calls, texts, or other messages from strangers should always be treated with caution. Scammers can even use spoofing technology to manipulate your caller ID so that it appears as if calls are coming from the SSA, law enforcement, or other official sources. Don’t click on links or give out sensitive information until you can confirm that you’re talking to someone legitimate.
- Only use official contact methods. Don’t call back phone numbers or use contact information in emails and text messages. Instead, always contact companies and agencies by using the contact information noted on their official websites.
- Be on the lookout for emotionally charged situations. Scammers threaten or promise huge rewards to get you to act without thinking. Trust your gut. If something feels off, it likely is.
- Keep your online accounts secure. Use strong and unique passwords, a password manager, and two-factor authentication (2FA) — ideally with an authenticator app. If you receive a data breach notification, change your passwords immediately.
- Don’t send strangers money, cryptocurrency, gift cards, or wire transfers. If someone asks you for money — especially by using a payment method that’s harder to reverse — it’s almost certainly a scam.
12. Sign up for SSN monitoring
Once your SSN is out there, it’s hard to stop scammers from using it. Aura’s identity theft protection solution includes SSN monitoring, data breach alerts, Dark Web monitoring, and more ways to warn you if scammers are using your SSN (and other sensitive information).
Every Aura plan also includes 24/7 access to U.S.-based support specialists and up to $5 million in identity theft insurance to help cover eligible losses and expenses incurred when recovering from identity theft.
What Can Scammers Do With Your Social Security Number?
Your SSN is a unique identifier that is used in some of your most important transactions — for example, opening new bank accounts, taking out credit cards, and filing your taxes.
This means that with your SSN, scammers can fraudulently do almost anything that you can do with your SSN — especially if they have other information, such as your address, phone number, driver’s license, or Medicare number.
With your stolen SSN, scammers may be able to:
- Open new accounts or take out loans in your name
- Access your current bank accounts and steal your funds
- Apply for new utility accounts
- Gain illegal employment
- Get a credit card or take out high-interest loans
- File taxes in your name and claim the refund
- Obtain medical care by using your healthcare benefits
- Get a driver’s license in your name and use it to impersonate you
- Take over your phone number by conducting a SIM swap
- Commit government benefits fraud or unemployment fraud
📚 Related: How To Protect Your SSN From Scammers →
Can You Get a New SSN If Yours Was Stolen?
It’s unlikely that most people will be able to get a new SSN — or will even want to do so. Replacing your SSN can cause serious damage to your credit score, problems with your benefits, and other headaches.
According to the federal government, the only situations in which you may be eligible to get a new SSN include:
- Ongoing financial and identity fraud (if you can show you’ve exhausted all other options)
- Threat of personal harm
- Religious or cultural objections to the numbers
- Someone else already has your SSN
- Your SSN is too similar to a family member’s and it’s causing difficulties for you
If you do want to apply for a new SSN, you’ll first need to complete an SSN application form and provide documentation supporting why you need a new number.
How To Protect Yourself Against SSN Fraud and Identity Theft
Your SSN is one of your most important personal identifiers; and, for this reason, it can be a goldmine for scammers, leading to months — if not years — of harrowing consequences for you.
It’s imperative that you protect your SSN and Social Security card as much as possible. If someone asks for your SSN, question why they need it and offer an alternative identifier (such as your driver’s license). Shred mail that includes your SSN, and store sensitive documents in a safe at home.
Unfortunately, you can’t always control how other companies protect your SSN. Data breaches leaked millions of SSNs in 2024 alone, which means you might already be at risk.
With Aura, you get the #1-rated SSN and identity theft protection solution — plus digital security tools to safeguard you and your family against hackers, 24/7 U.S.-based support, and generous insurance to help you recover from fraud.
