Several of us have posted about problems and delays in getting social security numbers for our wives. This news item seems enlightening. Unfortunately, it sounds like we may be in for a long wait.
U.S. opens door to identity theft: Crime, terrorism concerns raised
By Robert Pear
New York Times News Service
May 20, 2002
WASHINGTON -- Tens of thousands of foreigners are illegally obtaining Social Security numbers by using fake documents, a typical first step to identity theft and other crimes, but officials have not found a way to search immigration records to prevent the practice, federal investigators say.
In a new report, the inspector general of the Social Security Administration, James Huse Jr., said that one in 12 foreigners receiving new Social Security numbers had done so using fake documents. Preliminary results from an ongoing investigation indicate that 100,000 Social Security numbers were wrongly issued to non-citizens in 2000, Huse said.
In the past year, the Social Security Administration issued 5.8 million numbers, including 1.5 million to non-citizens.
The problem is causing great concern among law-enforcement and counterterrorism officials because Social Security cards can be used to get credit cards and the security badges needed for jobs at airports and other vulnerable locations. Since Sept. 11, federal authorities have been conducting nationwide sweeps to arrest people on charges of using false Social Security numbers.
Some of the 19 Sept. 11 hijackers had illegally obtained Social Security numbers, allowing them to open bank accounts and get credit cards.
For three years, Huse has recommended that the Social Security Administration check the records of the Immigration and Naturalization Service before issuing Social Security numbers to non-citizens.
Before Sept. 11, the Social Security agency disagreed with that recommendation and did nothing to carry it out, fearing it would lead to unacceptable delays in issuing Social Security numbers to legitimate applicants.
The agency has since embraced the recommendation but has had little success in getting the necessary help from the INS, Huse said. The immigration agency issues many of the documents that immigrants use to prove they are eligible for Social Security cards.
The Social Security Administration needs immediate help from the immigration agency because, Huse said, "Social Security service representatives are not trained in studying the authenticity of foreign identity documents."
Bill Strassberger, a spokesman for the immigration agency, said: "We are trying to work more closely with the Social Security Administration to reduce the use of fraudulent documents. It's one of our top priorities."
