Can i put a freeze on my social security number

To place a temporary fraud alert on your account

Go to the website of any of the three major credit bureaus and select that you want to add a fraud alert.

Note: You only need to do it at one credit bureau. Once you place the fraud alert at any of the three bureaus, they automatically notify the other two.

• Experian

• TransUnion

• Equifax

A temporary fraud alert doesn't require a reason or any documentation beyond confirming your identity. 

To remove a temporary fraud alert

Removing a fraud alert is a bit more involved than placing one. You'll have to contact all three of the bureaus and they will each need to verify your identity in order to lift the alert. In most cases it's probably easier just to let the alert expire after a year.

"What's an extended fraud alert?" 

An extended fraud alert does the same thing a temporary fraud alert does, just for a longer period of time. It generally stays active for 7 years, unless you cancel it sooner.

An extended alert is also a little more difficult to get than a temporary one, it generally requires a police report showing that you're a victim of identity theft.

"Does a temporary fraud alert prevent accounts from being opened in my name?"

It doesn't prevent it the way a credit freeze does, but it does make it more difficult. Any business that has been approached to open an account in your name is supposed to take extra steps to verify the identity of the person opening the account. That means you can still open accounts, you'll just have to go through a couple of extra steps to prove that you are who you say you are.

It would be possible for a thief to open a fraudulent account too, but they'd have to put in more effort to impersonate you.

If you find unrecognized accounts

While you're on the IRS's website, get a PIN

The IRS offers a free, six-digit, identity protection PIN that you can get through their website. When you file your tax return you'll need to provide that PIN (which only you and the IRS should know) to verify your identity. That makes it a lot harder for somebody else to file a tax return in your name, since even if they have your Social Security number they shouldn't have your PIN.

To get the PIN just go to https://www.irs.gov/identity-theft-fraud-scams/get-an-identity-protection-pin. You'll need to go through a little process to verify your identity, then they'll issue you the PIN.

It's not a bad idea to do this proactively just to help limit the damage identity thieves could do later.

Filing taxes

Fraudsters will sometimes file fake tax returns with the name and Social Security number of an innocent person, then they claim the tax refund that is due to that person. When the real person later files their taxes they have a complicated process to go through to get the refund that is rightfully due to them.

To reduce the risk of this happening, try to file your tax return as early in the tax filing season as possible. If your legitimate return arrives at the IRS before any fraudulent returns do then it's the criminals who are frustrated, instead of you.

Keep an eye on your credit score

Unexpected changes in your credit score could indicate unauthorized activity using your Social Security number. Most banks and credit card companies these days offer you your credit score as an added perk of doing business with them. Sign into their website and take note of what your score is.

Small changes of a few points up or down are normal, but if it suddenly jumps or plunges unexpectedly you should get a fresh copy of your credit report to see why it changed. 

Review your Social Security Statement

One thing criminals may do with a stolen Social Security number is take a job under a false name. This is often the case if the criminal would be prohibited from getting the job using their real identity, or if they're not legally allowed to work in the United States. 

Tip: It's also possible that somebody could be working under your Social Security number as an honest mistake. They simple miswrote their Social Security number, or transposed a couple of numbers, and inadvertently gave their employer your number.

If they do take a job using your SSN their employer should be reporting their income to the Social Security Administration (SSA) and that income would appear on your Social Security Statement. Go to https://www.ssa.gov/myaccount/ and sign into (or create) your free account to check your Social Security Statement. Creating the account can be a bit of a process, but once you have the account it takes just moments to view your Social Security Statement online.

All the statement shows you is your total annual earnings in a given year, but if the earnings they show are substantially more than you know you earned that year that's probably reason enough to contact the SSA and investigate a bit further. They take identity theft seriously and are happy to work with you.

Check your Social Security Statement every year to make sure everything looks correct.

Tip: If the reported income looks too low that's something else you should investigate. The income reported by your employers is what factors into how much your Social Security payments will be when you retire so you want to make sure you're getting what you're owed.

Keep checking that credit report

Even if everything seems ok, it's a good idea to go to https://annualcreditreport.com every few months and request another copy of your credit report just to make sure everything still looks like it should.