SS# care: Don’t always give it out

When should you give your Social Security number and when should you not?

My rule on giving out my Social Security number is that I don’t do it, unless I know it’s absolutely, positively required for what I’m doing.

Companies and institutions ask for our Social Security numbers like they’re handing out a piece of candy. Unfortunately, they do a mediocre to terrible job of securing the number, depending on the industry.

Kiplinger magazine once ran a list of the worst places to give out your Social Security number.

Here are the places you shouldn’t give out your Social Security number

Topping the list is any college or university. I recall when Social Security numbers were used as your student ID number and they were posted everywhere on campus. I even had a professor who posted grades outside his office by Social Security number.

The second worst place to give out your Social Security number is in the banking industry. Unfortunately, there’s no way around this one; if you want to open an account, you have no choice but to divulge the digits.

Making four separate entries on the list are hospitals, medical businesses, health insurers and medical offices. These kinds of places always want your Social Security number and I always leave it blank. Their thinking is if you don’t pay, they want to be able to turn you over to a collection agency. But their security is like Swiss cheese with holes, and medical identity theft is huge problem.

How to handle medical industry requests for Social Security info

The medical industry needs to improve the job it does handling your info. Until they do that, follow these rules:

1. Do not give a doctor’s office, hospital, lab or any medical facility your Social Security number on any form. Leave it blank. Period.

2. Do not give your driver’s license when they ask for picture ID. Give any other form of picture ID. I use my military ID because it doesn’t have as much info on it.

By taking these basic precautions, you can reduce the possibility that you’ll become an identity theft victim.