Date: Wed, 06 Jan 93 16:53:22 EST Errors-To: Comp-privacy Error Handler From: Computer Privacy Digest Moderator To: Comp-privacy@PICA.ARMY.MIL Subject: Computer Privacy Digest V2#002 Computer Privacy Digest Wed, 06 Jan 93 Volume 2 : Issue: 002 Today's Topics: Moderator: Dennis G. Rears SSN The Computer Privacy Digest is a forum for discussion on the effect of technology on privacy. The digest is moderated and gatewayed into the USENET newsgroup comp.society.privacy (Moderated). Submissions should be sent to comp-privacy@pica.army.mil and administrative requests to comp-privacy-request@pica.army.mil. Back issues are available via anonymous ftp on ftp.pica.army.mil [129.139.160.133]. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 5 Jan 93 11:17:40 -0500 From: Susanna Elaine Johnson Subject: SSN INTRODUCTION So ingrained into our everyday lives is the social security number (SSN) that it is difficult to believe there was no such thing just a generation ago. The SSN was created in the 1930's to serve the limited purpose of enrolling those persons covered by the original Social Security Act. This mammoth government insurance program needed a mechanism to efficiently and accurately segregate the earnings, payments and benefits of millions of individuals. The social security numbering system was designed to do just that. Its unique nine digit format allows for individual registration of nearly one billion persions. Since issuance of the first SSN in 1936, some 300 million other numbers have followed. Thus, with over two thirds of the possible numbers still unassigned, the Social Security Administration has a tool that will meet its needs for many decades - even many generations - to come. However, the SSN has also come to play a far bigger role than its creaters could have ever envisioned. From job applications, to tax returns, to driver's licences, to educational records, the SSN has vecome the standard identifier used on a wide variety of records. The decision of so many offices to adopy the SSN for their own purposes is understandable. THere is no more widely held number in the country. Most individuals acquire an SSN at a fairly early age, generally no later than the time they enter the work force. And, unlike names and addresses, a person's SSN cannot be duplicated or changed. An SSN, once issued, is ours to keep. It never changes. The SSN is truly the "universal identifier." USES SND ABUSES For those involved in pre-employment screening, the widespread use of the SSN creates both certain problems and certain opportunities. Many offices maintaining public or educational records index their files by SSN. To gain access to these records, employers will frequently have to furnish a job applicant's SSN. With a correct SSN in hand, an employer will be able to obtain a broad spectrum of data of great significance in pre-employment investigations. Without it, however, the employer will be blocked from receiving accurate information. The dangers created by this state of affairs are obvious. A clever applicant with something to hide may intentionally supply a falsified number. Other less malevolent, but somewhat careless, individuals may inadvertently furnish correct numbers. In either case, obtaining the records necessary for a complete background check will often be difficult or impossible. The investigative process may be stymied. Fortunately, with just a little knowledge about how the social security numbering system works, it is possible for employers to spot many incorrect or falsified numbers. This Guide will provide the information you need as well as an easy-to-use table for checking specific SSN's. COMPONENTS OF THE SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER The SSN's nine numeric characters can be separated into three basic components. Each of the three sections plays a different role. To illustrate how the parts fit together, we will use the sample number 987-65-4320. As will become clear, this is actually an impossible number, but it serves well as an example. 1. The Area Number. The first three digits (987-65-4320) constitute the SSN's "area number." This portion of the SSN indicates the state or territory 8in which the holder resided at the time the card was issued. Each state and territory has been assigned unique area numbers. Thus, for example, the state of Missouri has been assigned areas 486 through 500. All applications for enrollment in the social security system showing a Missouri return address will have an area number somewhere within this range. This geographic cue can significantly aid pre-employment screening investigations. If a job applicant lists Alabama as the state of his birth and formative years, but his SSN has a New York area number, a prospective employer should probably ask about New York contacts. There may be a ligical explanation for this apparent discrepancy, but the applicant may also be hiding something in his background. Also, many possible area numbers have not been activated at all. At present, SSN's have been assigned only within the following ranges: Active areas 001 - 587 589 - 626 700 - 728 Any claimed SSN with its first three digits outside the bounds of these ranges cannot be valid. The table at the end of this Guide shows specifically which states and territories have been assigned each of the active area nunbers. 2. The Group Number The second two digits in the SSN (987-65-4320), together called the "group number", constitute another key to spotting falsified or erroneous SSN's. The group number serves to break down SSNs for a given state into more manageable blocks. While a group number theoretically may be any two digit number from 01 to 99, many possible groups within each state's allotment have not yet been used. Any claimed SSN with one of these unused group numbers can be presumed invalid. Determining which group numbers have been used for a given state's SSNs is actually a fairly easy matter. For each state the order in which the groups are activated follows the same logical pattern. When you know where in this pattern a given state is, you can instantly tell which group numbers are valid for the state and which are not. The pattern by which group numbers are assigned is explained below in the section headed "The Numbering Sequence." 3. Serial Number. The last four digits (987-65-4320) are called the "serial number." This may be any four digit number from 0001 to 9999. THis serial number in a given SSN simply shows its numerical position within a group. Our sample, 987-65-4320, for example, would be number 4320 among SSN's within group 65 and area 987. No valid SSNs will have a serial number of 0000. Beyond this, any other serial numbers in a valid group and area are potentially valid. THE NUMBERING SEQUENCE Fore the residents of each state, social security numbers are assigned according to rules whic, while logical, are not natural. That is, the rules make sence once they are understood but they do not follow the pattern which most people would expect. Because of the unusual numbering system, it iw quite likely that many applicants who intentionally or inadvertently supply incorrect social security numbers will actuall pick "impossible" group and area combinations. Many of these can be easily detected. There are two basic patters which govern the assignment of SSN's in each state's areas: Rule 1. The Odd-Even-Even-Odd Rule. The two digit group in the middle of the SSN is, in some tespects, the key to determining validity. While these numbers may range from 01 to 99, groups for a given state are not assigned in straight numerical order. The Social Security Administration has adopted a unique "odd-even-even-odd" pattern for opening these groups. For SSN's in each state's area range, the first groups used are those with odd numbers below 10. These groups are simply taken in ascending order (01,03, 05, 07 and 09). After all SSNs alloted in these groups have been issued, even group number 10 and above (10, 12, 14, 16,...98) are activated, also in ascending order. When group 98 is reached, the Social Security Administration then returns to even group numbers below 10, and finally, odd group numbers above 10. >From this, one vital point emerges. When you know the group number currently being used for a given area, you will instantly know which groups have preceded it and which have not yet been used. The following examples may help your understanding of the Odd-Even-Even-Odd Rule: Example 1. For Maine residents, SSNs with an 004 area are currently being assigned a group number of 86 (004-86-XXXX). In light of the Odd-Even-Even-Odd Rule, you can conclude the following about SSNs beginning with an 004 area number: a. Any such SSN with an odd group number less than 10 may be valid. b. Any SSN with an even group number higher than 86 is invalid. (for example, 004-94-1234). c. Any SSN with an even group number less than 10 is invalid. (for example, 004-08-1234) d. Any SSN with an odd group number greater than 10 is also invalid (for example, 004-85-1234). Example 2. In Maryland, for area number 212, SSNs are currently being assigned group number 17. From this, you can infer the following about SSNs in the 212 area: a. SSNs for this area may have any odd group number less than 10. b. Valid SSNs may also have any even group number. c. Any SSN with a 212 area and an odd group number greater than 17 is not a valid number. Example 3. In Michigan, SSNs with a 362 area number are, at present, being assigned to the 04 group. The following conclusions are possible: a. Any odd group number less than 10 may be valid. b. Any even group number 10 or greater may be valid. c. Any even group number greater than 04 but less than 10 is invalid. d. Any odd group number greater than 10 is invalid. Rule 2. The Group Rollover Rule. For each state's area(s), all SSNs with a given group number are issued before any with the next group number are issued. Within the group, numbers are issued in all area, from the lowest through the highest. For example, in New Hampshire (areas 001 to 003), the Group Rollover Rule dictates that: 001-52-5555 is followed by 001-52-5556; 001-52-9999 is followed by 002-52-0001, and not by 001-54-0001; 003-53-9999 is followed by 001-54-0001 (new group). Like the Odd-Even-Even-Odd Rule, this goes counter to what most people would guess. Just remember that the group controls the area, not the other way around. A SIMPLE METHOD While a basic understanding of the social security numbering system is invaluable, the Social Security Number Table at the end of this Guide will take much of the work out of evaluations of particular SSNs. Based on information compiled by the Social Security Administration through December 1987, the table is comprised of three parts. The first column lists, in order, each possible three digit area number. Both those areas that have been activated and those that have not yet been used are included. When presented with a specific SSN, you can quickly isolate those with invalid area numbers. The next four colums, when taken together, show the group numbers that are possible for each area. Individually, these columns reveal the highest active group number in four separate categories, namely: odd group numbers less than 10. even group numbers greater than or equal to 10. even group numbers less than 10. odd group numbers greater than 10. The categories follow the order in which groups are assigned. For more on this pattern, see the discussion above on the Odd-Even-Even-Odd Rule. To check a given SSN, simply find its area number in column 1. Then, select the appropriate group column to see if the area-group combination you have been supplied is possible. For example, suppose a job applicant listed 510-09-1234 as his social security number. This SSN falls in the 509 to 515 area range found in column 1. You see that SSNs with this area number are being issued. However, there is a problem with the group number. Column 4 shows that for this area no even group numbers less than 10 had been issued as of December 31, 1987. The SSN reported by the applicant cannot be valid. The third part of the table (column 6) allows you to math each area number to its assigned state. If an applicant claiming to have lived in Florida all his life produces an SSN of 540-09-1234, you may have reason to be suspect. The table shows that while this is a valid number, it would have been issued to an Oregon resident. A deeper investigation may be in order. USING THE TABLE A few additional examples of how the table could be used in particular situations may help you understand more about its application to background investigations. Example 1: A New Jersey job applicant supplies an SSN of 153-52-1234. The table shows that 153 is indeed within the range of SSNs issued to New Jersey residents. Further, column 3 shows that SSNs with a group number of 52 have been issued in the state. On the face ofthings, you have no reason to doubt this is a valid SSN. Example 2: A job applicant from Florida supplies an SSN of 590-72-2222. The table reveals that 590 is a Florida SSN (column 6). However, column 3 shows that the SSNs group number (72) is too high to be correct. The highest even group number greater than or equal to 10 for the area is 60. This is an invalid number. Example 3: A Colorado applicant lists an SSN of 522-65-1234. Looking at columns 1 and 6, you can see that there is no problem with the area number since area 522 has indeed been assigned to Colorado residents. However, column 5 reveals that no group 65 SSNs have yet been issued in the state. Example 4: Another job applicant supplies 627-66-1234 as his SSN. This is not a valid number. Column 1 shows that area 627 is still unassigned. No SSNs with this area number have ever been assigned. Just a few uses of the Social Security Number Table will show how easy it is to catch many incorrect SSNs. SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER TABLE AREA HIGHEST GROUP NUMBERS STATE OR TERRITORY NUMBER odd<10 even>=10 even<10 odd>10 000 none none none none unassigned 001 09 74 none none New Hampshire 002-003 09 72 none none New Hampshire 004 09 86 none none Maine 005-007 09 84 none none Maine 008 09 70 none none Vermont 009 09 68 none none Vermont 010-029 09 68 none none Massachusetts 030-034 09 66 none none Massachusetts 035-037 09 56 none none Rhode Island 038-039 09 54 none none Rhode Island 040-041 09 82 none none Connecticut 042-049 09 80 none none Connecticut 050-119 09 72 none none New York 120-134 09 70 none none New York 135-152 09 82 none none New Jersey 153-158 09 80 none none New Jersey 159-184 09 68 none none Pennsylvania 185-211 09 66 none none Pennsylvania 212-216 09 98 08 17 Maryland 217-220 09 98 08 15 Maryland 221-222 09 72 none none Delaware 223-228 09 98 08 45 Virginia 229-231 09 98 08 43 Virginia 232 09 98 08 33 North Carolina West Virginia 233-234 09 98 08 33 West Virginia 235-236 09 98 08 31 West Virginia 237-246 09 98 08 55 North Carolina 247-248 09 98 08 71 South Carolina 249-251 09 98 08 69 South Carolina 252-258 09 98 08 61 Georgia 259-260 09 98 08 59 Georgia 261-267 09 98 08 99 Florida 268-272 09 88 none none Ohio 273-302 09 86 none none Ohio 303-309 09 98 02 none Indiana 310-317 09 98 none none Indiana 318 09 80 none none Illinois 319-361 09 78 none none Illinois 362-367 09 98 04 none Michigan 368-386 09 98 02 none Michigan 387-397 09 98 none none Wisconsin 398-399 09 96 none none Wisconsin 400-406 09 98 08 33 Kentucky 407 09 98 08 31 Kentucky 408 09 98 08 57 Tennessee 409-415 09 98 08 55 Tennessee 416-424 09 98 08 27 Alabama 425-428 09 98 08 59 Mississippi 429-431 09 98 08 67 Arkansas 432 09 98 08 65 Arkansas 433-438 09 98 08 67 Louisiana 439 09 98 08 65 Louisiana 440-441 09 92 none none Oklahoma 442-448 09 90 none none Oklahoma 449-463 09 98 08 91 Texas 464-467 09 98 08 89 Texas 468-472 09 98 08 13 Minnesota 473-477 09 98 08 11 Minnesota 478-481 09 98 08 13 Iowa 482-485 09 98 08 11 Iowa 486-490 09 96 none none Missouri 491-500 09 94 none none Missouri 501 09 98 08 11 North Dakota 502 09 98 08 none North Dakota 503 09 98 08 13 South Dakota 504 08 98 08 11 South Dakota 505 09 98 08 21 Nebraska 506-508 09 98 08 19 Nebraska 509-515 09 94 none none Kansas 516 09 98 08 15 Montana 517 09 98 08 13 Montana 518-519 09 98 08 23 Idaho 520 09 98 08 15 Wyoming 521-524 09 98 08 59 Colorado 525 09 98 08 69 New Mexico 526-527 09 98 08 99 Arizona 528 09 98 08 75 Utah 529 09 98 08 73 Utah 530 09 98 08 27 Nevada 531 09 98 08 none Washington 532-539 09 98 06 none Washington 540-544 09 98 08 21 Oregon 545-573 09 98 08 99 California 574 09 92 none none Alaska* 575-576 09 98 08 39 Hawaii 577 09 98 08 15 District of Columbia 578-579 09 98 08 13 District of Columbia 580 09 98 08 21 Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands* 581-584 09 98 08 99 Puerto Rico 585 09 98 08 67 New Mexico 586 09 84 none none Guam* American Samoa North Mariana Islands Philippines 587 09 98 08 59 Mississippi 588 none none none none Mississippi 589-591 09 60 none none Florida 592-595 09 58 none none Florida 596-597 09 14 none none Puerto Rico 598-599 09 12 none none Puerto Rico 600 09 50 none none Arizona 601 09 48 none none Arizona 602-620 03 none none none California 621-626 01 none none none California 627-699 none none none none Unassigned 700-723 09 18 none none RR Retirement** 724 09 28 none none RR Retirement** 725-726 09 18 none none RR Retirement** 727 09 10 none none RR Retirement** 728 09 14 none none RR Retirement** 729-999 none none none none Unassigned * SSNs in these areas also assigned to Southeast Asian refugees during period from April 1975 through November 1979. ** No longer issued. ------------------------------ End of Computer Privacy Digest V2 #002 ******************************