Protect Your Social Security Number from Identity Thieves & Scams

This week’s Career-Line posts are about how to protect yourself while searching for a job. It’s unfortunate, but there are scam artists who will take advantage of you during your job hunt.

“Job candidates are willing in this market to give any information they can that would help them get a job,” said Ellen B. Vance, an HR consultant and auditor who advises companies on how to safeguard applicant and employee information in a recent Career Advice article ” How to Protect Your Resume from Identity Theft”. It’s not only job seekers who need to be mindful of identity theft. Many identity-theft scams start when you input your Social Security number, according to a McAfee Identity Theft expert Robert Siciliano’s recent research. Siciliano examined data published by the Identity Theft Resource Center, Privacy Rights Clearinghouse and the Open Security Foundation and compiled a list of the top ten places where you are at risk for identity fraud of theft.The top 10 most dangerous places to give out your Social Security number are:

1 – Universities/Colleges

2 – Banking/Financial Institutions

3 – Hospitals

4 – State Governments

5 – Local Governments

6 – Federal Governments

7 – Medical Businesses

8 – Non-Profit Organizations

9 – Technology Companies

10 (tied) – Medical Insurance and Medical Offices/Clinics

For more information about identity theft or social security number scams, please visit the government resources website http://www.idtheft.gov/