To mark the 75th anniversary of the Social Security Program, the New York State Consumer Protection Board is reminding consumers of the importance of safeguarding their Social Security number, which can be used by scammers to commit identity theft and as a gateway to access other personally identifying information.

Identity theft affects more than 10 million Americans each year.

“For millions of consumers, their Social Security number is key to financial protection,” said Mindy A. Bockstein, the CPB's Chairperson and Executive Director. “But for identity thieves, unguarded Social Security numbers are keys to the vault of information to access credit, benefits and services that are not rightfully theirs. As we celebrate the 75th anniversary of Social Security this month, we are reminding consumers of all ages of the importance of safeguarding this valuable personally identifying information for short-term and long-term security.”

Over the past several years, the CPB has received complaints and inquiries from consumers and businesses with respect to data security and identity theft prevention. Many of these dealt with how to safeguard Social Security numbers. This has led the CPB to issue scam alerts warning consumers about phishing and other incidents where con artists are looking to trick individuals into revealing their Social Security number.

Since the creation of the Social Security program, the use of Social Security numbers has expanded. The original purpose of this number was to track individuals' accounts within the Social Security program. It has since come to be commonly used as an identifier for employee, patient, student, credit and other records. This expanded use of the number has increased identity theft risks.

Thus, the CPB urges consumers to keep the following tips in mind to protect their Social Security number:

• Keep your Social Security card in a secure place, and never carry it with you unless there is a unique circumstance requiring the card.

• Provide your Social Security number only when necessary. When someone directly inquires about your number, ask: Why is the number needed?, How will the number be used?, What are the consequences of declining to provide the number?

• Ask to use another type of identifying number whenever possible. Only transmit your Social Security via the Internet to reputable companies that use a secure server.

• Do not provide your Social Security number over the telephone unless you initiated the call, are certain with whom you are speaking, and the Social Security number is necessary to complete the transaction.

• Do not respond to unsolicited e-mails that ask for your Social Security number or direct you to a website where you are asked to input your Social Security number, even if they seem to be from a legitimate company with which you do business.

New York State continues to be a leader in Social Security number protection by enacting laws limiting the collection, display and/or transmission of these numbers by businesses, educational institutions and even government.

For example, New York State law prohibits the printing of Social Security numbers on identification and membership cards, and on certain documents mailed to customers, and bars the e-mailing of unencrypted Social Security numbers. In addition, schools cannot use Social Security numbers for posting or public listing of grades or class rosters.

Consumers can access more information about Social Security number safety and identity theft protection by visiting www.nysconsumer.gov.