Tips for protecting your Social Security Number (SSN)

• Don't carry your Social Security card in your wallet.
• Avoid carrying cards with your SSN, particularly health insurance cards, unless you need them to receive care.
• Request that your driver's license number is not the same as your Social Security number.
• Never give out your SSN, credit card number, or other personal information over the phone, unless you have a trusted business relationship with the organization and initiated the call using a verified phone number.
• Avoid including your SSN on job applications.
• Provide your SSN only when absolutely necessary—for tax forms, employment, student records, stock and property transactions, etc.
• If your financial institution attempts to use your SSN as an account number, ask them to change it immediately.
• If a government agency requests your SSN, look for a Privacy Act notice. This will state whether a SSN is required, how it will be used, how it is protected, and what happens if you don't provide it.