General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsAbout voters information, they want "only" the last 4 digits of SSN
I remember, some years ago, how someone showed that knowing the place where one was born and approximate age, they can then guess the rest of the number.
Anyone remembers?
Heddi
(18,312 posts)the first three numbers indicate what state the person was born in. Each state has only a few assigned to them. So if you can know the last 4, and can guess the first three, there are only 99 possibilities for the middle 2. Incredibly easy to figure out someone's SSN.
https://www.ssa.gov/employer/stateweb.htm
HIS DATA IS STRICTLY FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES
The chart below shows the first 3 digits of the social security numbers assigned throughout the United States and its possessions. The same area, when shown more than once, means that certain numbers have been transferred from one State to another, or that an area has been divided for use among certain geographic locations.
SSN Area Number Location
001-003 New Hampshire
004-007 Maine
008-009 Vermont
010-034 Massachusetts
035-039 Rhode Island
040-049 Connecticut
050-134 New York
135-158 New Jersey
159-211 Pennsylvania
212-220 Maryland
221-222 Delaware
223-231 Virginia
232 North Carolina
232-236 West Virginia
237-246 Not Issued
247-251 South Carolina
252-260 Georgia
261-267 Florida
268-302 Ohio
303-317 Indiana
318-361 Illinois
362-386 Michigan
387-399 Wisconsin
400-407 Kentucky
408-415 Tennessee
416-424 Alabama
425-428 Mississippi
429-432 Arkansas
433-439 Louisiana
440-448 Oklahoma
449-467 Texas
468-477 Minnesota
478-485 Iowa
486-500 Missouri
501-502 North Dakota
503-504 South Dakota
505-508 Nebraska
509-515 Kansas
516-517 Montana
518-519 Idaho
520 Wyoming
521-524 Colorado
525,585 New Mexico
526-527 Arizona
528-529 Utah
530,680 Nevada
531-539 Washington
540-544 Oregon
545-573 California
574 Alaska
575-576 Hawaii
577-579 District of Columbia
580 Virgin Islands
580-584 Puerto Rico
586 Guam
586 American Samoa
586 Philippine Islands
587-665 Not Issued
667-679 Not Issued
681-690 Not Issued
691-699 Not Issued
700-728 Railroad Board**
729-733 Enumeration at Entry
750-772 Not Issued
NOTES
**700-728 Issuance of these numbers to railroad employees was discontinued July 1, 1963.
Any number beginning with 000 will NEVER be a valid SSN.
237-246 were not unassigned. They were issued in North Carolina. For example, 243 in eastern NC, 245 around Greensboro, etc.
While they are two independent systems, the first three digits are similar to those of ZIP codes, though generally slightly lower.
wishstar
(5,268 posts)crazycatlady
(4,492 posts)I was born and raised in NY, and my SSN reflects it. (It is nothing like my sister's SSN--- they were each issued to us at birth).
If you put the first five digits of my SSN as a zipcode, it is in New Jersey.
MiniMe
(21,714 posts)I was born in NY State, lived in NJ, CA, and moved to MD at 8 years old. My SSN according to that chart is a Maryland SSN, so apparently my parents applied for my SSN after we moved to MD. My parents are both passed away, so I can't ask them.
Heddi
(18,312 posts)My husband was born in NY but the first 3 are a SC number. He moved to SC when he was kindergarten age, so he supposes he didn't have to have one prior to that
MiniMe
(21,714 posts)I think these days you have to apply for the SSN when children are babies. I think you need it for the tax deduction
hvn_nbr_2
(6,486 posts)My number matches where I lived when I got the number, not where I was born. Back in the "old days," people didn't get SSNs when they were born because it wasn't required for their parents' taxes; typically you got it when you needed it, such as when you started having taxable income. Now it is required for the parents to claim dependents, so everybody gets one when they're born.
Liberal In Texas
(13,540 posts)Mine isn't where I was born either, but the state I was in when I started working part-time in HS.
crazycatlady
(4,492 posts)Mine was issued at birth, as was my sister's. IIRC sometime in the 80s, they were required to claim a child as a dependent on your tax return so they started being issued at birth. We went on a field trip to the state house in 4th grade and they asked for our SSN. The only thing I remember is coming home from school asking what that was.
However, my mom, born in Maine, has a Pennsylvania SSN. She lived in PA when she started working (her first job was at 14) so that makes sense given her age (Boomer).
former9thward
(31,961 posts)All of the states have at least 3 possibilities in the first three and many like CA have as many as 28. Multiply that by 99 and that is how many numbers you would come up with. And that would be based on an original guess, So no it is not "incredibility easy", Federal regulations do not require saving documents with the last four of the SS #. Many companies and other organizations routinely use the last four for simple ID.
jberryhill
(62,444 posts)It's approximate, because it is more like "state of residence and year when you applied for your SSN". But since the IRS requires them to claim minors down to something like two years old, the trend these days is to get them sooner than later:
http://www.lavasurfer.com/info/socialsecurity.html
But, yeah, you can make some good guesses if you have age, place of (youth) and the last four digits.
OriginalGeek
(12,132 posts)mine is where I grew up and first applied for SS# (it was part of 7th grade class assignment but i forget the name of the class - one of those "life" things...we mostly sat around and played cards in that class.) but not anywhere near where I was born.
MineralMan
(146,281 posts)they can fool almost any telephone representative. Those are the verification questions most often asked by telephone customer service folks.
defacto7
(13,485 posts)It's a data collectors cash cow... and can be used in sync and in large numbers to crash corporations, government offices, internet related services, etc. etc. DOS attacks...
The speed of computer calculations these days make hacking out matching info a breeze.
cyclonefence
(4,483 posts)I remember that 236 was WV back when I got my SSN. I believe there is a geographic relationship between states and the first three digits.
Fresh_Start
(11,330 posts)so it won't be true in the future but there are a lot of ppl alive today who have one issued under the old rules.
Heddi
(18,312 posts)The SSN Numbering Scheme
Number Has Three Parts
The nine-digit SSN is composed of three parts:
The first set of three digits is called the Area Number
The second set of two digits is called the Group Number
The final set of four digits is the Serial Number
Area Number
The Area Number is assigned by the geographical region. Prior to 1972, cards were issued in local Social Security offices around the country and the Area Number represented the State in which the card was issued. This did not necessarily have to be the State where the applicant lived, since a person could apply for their card in any Social Security office. Since 1972, when SSA began assigning SSNs and issuing cards centrally from Baltimore, the area number assigned has been based on the ZIP code in the mailing address provided on the application for the original Social Security card. The applicant's mailing address does not have to be the same as their place of residence. Thus, the Area Number does not necessarily represent the State of residence of the applicant, either prior to 1972 or since.
Generally, numbers were assigned beginning in the northeast and moving westward. So people on the east coast have the lowest numbers and those on the west coast have the highest numbers.
Note: One should not make too much of the "geographical code." It is not meant to be any kind of useable geographical information. The numbering scheme was designed in 1936 (before computers) to make it easier for SSA to store the applications in our files in Baltimore since the files were organized by regions as well as alphabetically. It was really just a bookkeeping device for our own internal use and was never intended to be anything more than that.
Group Number
Within each area, the group number (middle two (2) digits) range from 01 to 99 but are not assigned in consecutive order. For administrative reasons, group numbers issued first consist of the ODD numbers from 01 through 09 and then EVEN numbers from 10 through 98, within each area number allocated to a State. After all numbers in group 98 of a particular area have been issued, the EVEN Groups 02 through 08 are used, followed by ODD Groups 11 through 99.
Group numbers are assigned as follows:
ODD - 01, 03, 05, 07, 09------EVEN - 10 to 98
EVEN - 02, 04, 06, 08------ODD - 11 to 99
See the latest Social Security Number Monthly Issuance Table for the latest SSN area ranges issued to date. Alleged Social Security numbers containing area numbers other than those found on that table are impossible.
Serial Number
Within each group, the serial numbers (last four (4) digits) run consecutively from 0001 through 9999.
Wellstone ruled
(34,661 posts)County you were born in and that County was issued a number. Pre 1951 you could go to any Library and find this info.
crazylikafox
(2,753 posts)that determined your SSN.
Back in the day, you weren't issued a SSN until you started working & paying taxes. For me, I was born in Connecticut, but didn't get a SSN until I was 16 & living in Pennsylvania. When I applied for a work permit, I was also issued a SSN. According to the table, my SSN is a Pennsylvania SSN.
Rhythm
(5,435 posts)I was born in Florida in the 60's, but my SSN is for the state where i went to high school, and where i got my first real job as a 16 yr old.
Newborns didn't start getting SSNs assigned until the IRS changed their documentation regulations, and the number was required for all dependents on the 1040 and other tax forms.
EllieBC
(3,010 posts)The first 3 are just based on your state, no?
question everything
(47,460 posts)first applied to SSN. At least, for the older folks. A mentioned, when you claim your children as dependents you need to state their SSN, so many are assigned at birth.
I am not sure about the middle two but still, the last four are the most important, they are unique and having them and birth date can give enough information. Which adds credence to why so many states object to provide any of this.