What Can Someone Do With Your Social Security Number?

Updated April 11, 2025.

If someone steals your Social Security number, they can use it to open bank accounts under your name, steal your benefits, file fraudulent tax returns and commit other types of fraud. In the U.S, your Social Security number is tied to your personal and financial records, making it a key target for identity thieves. When it falls into the wrong hands, it can lead to serious identity theft. 

Continue reading to learn more about what someone can do with your social security number, how someone can steal it and how you can protect it from theft.

Open a credit card or bank account under your name

To open a bank account in your name, you must provide your SSN, address and date of birth. If a threat actor has all of this Personally Identifiable Information (PII), they can use it to open bank accounts, credit cards, loans or other financial products under your name. Threat actors will often max out the limit of these accounts, not pay the bills and rack up significant debt. This will leave you responsible for dealing with large amounts of bills and end up damaging your credit. 

Empty your bank account

Threat actors can also drain your bank accounts by making unauthorized purchases or withdrawing funds from your account. Using your stolen SSN along with other personal and banking information, they may gain access to your bank account. Once in, they can use peer-to-peer payment methods like Zelle, Venmo or CashApp to easily transfer money out of your account into theirs. These transactions can be difficult to trace or reverse, making it ideal for threat actors to steal your funds and disappear before any fraud is detected.

Receive and steal your benefits

Your SSN gives you access to important government benefits such as medical services, disability, retirement income and unemployment. If a threat actor has your SSN, they can fraudulently apply for and collect benefits in your name. This is especially damaging if you depend on these services. Not only could your benefits be used up before you need them, but misuse of your SSN can also lead to long-term complications like tainted medical records or delays when you try to access these benefits in the future.

File a fraudulent tax return

Every year, the IRS requires you to file your taxes, and in many cases, you may receive a refund. However, if a threat actor steals your SSN, they can file a fraudulent tax return in your name to claim that refund. A fraudulent tax return causes problems when you try to file your tax return and are denied due to duplication. When you later attempt to file your legitimate return, it may be rejected due to duplicate filing. This type of fraud may cause issues not only with the IRS but also with your employer who withholds and reports your tax information. It can take months to resolve the issue and may strain your relationship with both your employer and the IRS while also delaying the refunds you’re supposed to receive. 

Set up utilities

Threat actors can use your SSN to open or upgrade utility services under your name, such as water, gas, electricity, internet, phone and cable. With just your SSN and additional pieces of your PII, they can bypass identity verification checks and set up accounts without your knowledge. You may not even realize someone is receiving utility services under your name until you discover unpaid bills, a drop in your credit score or contact with a debt collector. 

Commit crimes that end up on your record

If someone steals your SSN and commits a crime, they can avoid criminal responsibility by using your name and your SSN when asked to identify themselves by law enforcement. The threat actor can then walk away from the crime and leave you with a criminal record. Having this criminal record can tarnish your reputation and affect critical aspects of your life, such as difficulty when applying for jobs that require background checks. 

How someone can steal your Social Security number

Here are the ways someone can steal your Social Security number.

Data breaches

Many organizations store large amounts of personal data, including your SSN. If a data breach occurs, whether due to an accident or a targeted cyber attack, your SSN could have been compromised and it may be on the dark web. Threat actors will do this by exploiting security vulnerabilities in an organization’s system to gain unauthorized access and steal sensitive data. 

If your SSN was exposed in a public data breach, it may be accessible to cybercriminals who can use it for identity theft and other malicious activities. To check if your SSN has been exposed, you can use a dark web monitoring tool. 

Phishing attacks

Phishing is a type of social engineering attack that tries to trick users into giving up their personal information such as their SSN. Threat actors will impersonate legitimate organizations, such as companies or government agencies, and send emails or text messages that appear to be official. These messages typically contain malicious links or attachments for users to click that may prompt users to provide their SSN. Clicking on these links may lead to the accidental download of malware or redirect users to a spoofed website that mimics real ones. On these fake sites, users are prompted to enter their personal information, including their SSN, which is then captured by threat actors. 

Physical theft 

Some threat actors will attempt to obtain physical documents containing your Social Security number. Some will go as far as to dig through your trash to find any thrown-out sensitive documents that were improperly disposed of. Other criminals will steal wallets and purses that could contain your Social Security card along with other important documents such as your driver’s license, credit card, passport and other IDs.

Man-in-the-middle attacks

Man-in-the-Middle (MITM) attacks are a type of cyber attack in which cybercriminals intercept transmitted data over an unencrypted WiFi network. Cybercriminals act as the middleman between two exchanging parties which allows them to eavesdrop, steal or modify data. They rely on fabricated or public WiFi networks since they are unencrypted and allow cybercriminals to control the internet traffic. If a user sends their SSN over an unencrypted WiFi network, cybercriminals can view it and steal it.

How to protect your Social Security number from theft

Threat actors are constantly trying to steal your Social Security number to commit identity theft and other types of fraud. You need to protect your Social Security number by taking the following steps.

Keep your Social Security card in a secure location

You should never carry your Social Security card with you in your wallet since you can easily lose your wallet. Instead, store your Social Security card and any other documents containing your SSN in a secure location, such as a locked safe. If you need to dispose of any documents with your SSN, you should shred them to prevent threat actors from digging through your trash and stealing your SSN.

Don’t share your Social Security number insecurely

You should only share your SSN if you are filing your taxes, starting a new job, getting your driver’s license, applying for government benefits, applying for a line of credit or loan, or making a cash transaction that is $10,000 or more. If you get an unsolicited message asking for your SSN, do not share it.

If you need to share your SSN digitally, you should use a password manager. A password manager is a tool that securely stores and manages your personal information, such as your login credentials, credit card information and SSN, in an encrypted vault. Protected with multiple layers of encryption, it makes sending sensitive data so secure, preventing threat actors from intercepting and stealing it.

Protect your online accounts with strong passwords

You need to protect your online accounts with access to your SSN by using strong and unique passwords. Using strong passwords makes it difficult for cybercriminals to crack them and compromise your accounts. Strong passwords are at least 16 characters long, combinations of uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers and special characters. They omit any personal information, sequential numbers or letters and commonly used dictionary words. To be even more secure, use passphrases.

Enable MFA on your accounts whenever possible

Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) requires users to provide additional authentication to access sensitive accounts, alongside their login credentials. MFA adds an extra layer of security to your sensitive data and ensures that only authorized users have access to your accounts. If your login credentials were compromised, cybercriminals would not be able to access your accounts since they could not provide the additional authentication. To protect your SSN, you need to enable MFA on your accounts with access to it.

Learn how to spot phishing attempts

Threat actors often try to trick you into giving up your SSN through phishing attacks. To protect your SSN, you need to learn and recognize the signs of a phishing scam. Some common indicators of a phishing scam include:

• Warning from email service provider
• Urgent language
• Threats of dire consequences
• Misspellings and grammatical errors
• Unsolicited attachments or links
• Requests for personal information
• Discrepancies in email address and domain name

If you notice any of these signs, then you should avoid interacting with these messages. However, you can contact your bank and other organizations directly if you are unsure about whether a message is legitimate.

Keep your Social Security number safe

The consequences of your Social Security number getting stolen can be severe and long-lasting. Threat actors can use it to open new credit accounts, file fraudulent tax returns or even commit crimes in your name – leaving you burdened with financial and legal costs. That’s why protecting your Social Security number is more critical than ever, both online and offline. 

Taking proactive steps to secure your Social Security number can save you serious trouble. To try Keeper Password Manager for free, sign up for a free trial today.