posted on June 17, 2001 09:05:22 AM
OUCH!! Social Security number? Why would anyone have your SS#?
With your SS#, anyone can call the IRS and get all kinds of info on you. Your identity can be stolen.
If anyone gets a hold of your credit report that the bureau would normally send to you, they will have all your account numbers right in front of them, complete with credit line on each card.
posted on June 17, 2001 09:18:37 AM
Even if you've never sold on eBay, you're almost certainly to be found somewhere on the Internet, if you've ever visited a site, joined a discussion group, etc. My 80-year-old Dad is quite "findable" and he never does anything other than answer email.
There is nothing magical about eBay selling that will give out personal information about you. eBay's own files are NOT available that way, and those contain your phone number, address, credit card info, etc.
Nobody should have your SS number except your bank or a company that has to issue you a 1099...and eBay isn't in either category.
BTW, the IRS doesn't just give out information based on your giving them somebody's SS number. You can't just call them up and ask for a home address, for example, based on the fact that you can reel off somebody's social security number. They have a pretty serious privacy policy themselves.
What's "out there" about you is pretty innocuous for the most part. You're almost certainly listed on a few of those Internet phone books, but only if somebody already knows your real full name or most of your address to check. If you've been posting messages to an Internet Beatles fan club, somebody might find some of these, and so forth. But your credit report, social security number, or a way to connect your eBay alias with your real self -- this kind of stuff is NOT available unless the person is a serious hacker (and even then it's going to be very difficult to get).
Summary: I wouldn't stay awake nights worry about this, but OTOH I would guard my personal info pretty carefully.
It's a little too late to be worried about your SSN "getting out". Any competent crook can find your SSN in less than 30 minutes if he wants it. Face it folks: The days of personal privacy aren't just over, they've BEEN over for quite some time now. The only people who don't have fast, easy access to your personal information are the people who would never use it in an underhanded manner in the first place.
sonsie:
Nobody should have your SS number except your bank or a company that has to issue you a 1099...and eBay isn't in either category.
This doesn't even scratch the surface of the companies that have your SSN on file.
[ edited by MrBusinessMan on Jun 17, 2001 09:27 AM ]
Not exactly true about IRS. We found that out the hard way. When you call IRS with certain inquiries, it is an automated system and the amount of info that can be received from the automated system is astonishing.
posted on June 17, 2001 11:01:40 AM
Anyone with your email address can find out if you buy/sell on ebay easily enough. This is why I've started another ID. I was tired of friends/family saying "Oh, I see you've been bidding on...."
BTW, when we moved to Oklahoma two years ago, we were told we could use our SS# for our drivers license #. I don't believe people say OK to this!
posted on June 17, 2001 02:02:56 PM
But, if they do not have your email address, they could not find you on ebay, right?
Did you know that the government is implementing a new universal insurance billing system and must come up with a UNIQUE identifier number for each of us?
They cannot use SS# because there are too many duplicates.
