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Beware of Radio Shack

J

Jack Ferman

Jan 1, 1970
0
"D. said:
If that is the number on a driver's license you may need to show that
for ID but many states are now replacing the SS number with their own
state-generated number as a matter of privacy. As long as you give
them the special private number on a driver's ID you have fulfilled
the obligations under law for ID purposes.
I think almost every state has migrated to the Soundex system for ID and
driver's license numbers. You will note that the first four characters in
your DL or ID number is the first letter of your surname and then three
numbers based on the consonents in your surname. This is the Soundex value
of your surname and it is the basis of sorting and indexing US and some
state census information since before 1870. Soundex was not used to
generate any part of a SS#. Based on my surname, Ferman, my Soundex in the
census and my drivers license first four are F655, but my SS# starts out
473. My father's SS# did not start out with 473.
 
C

cl

Jan 1, 1970
0
Jack Ferman said:
I think almost every state has migrated to the Soundex system for ID and
driver's license numbers. You will note that the first four characters in
your DL or ID number is the first letter of your surname and then three
numbers based on the consonents in your surname. This is the Soundex value
of your surname and it is the basis of sorting and indexing US and some
state census information since before 1870. Soundex was not used to
generate any part of a SS#. Based on my surname, Ferman, my Soundex in the
census and my drivers license first four are F655, but my SS# starts out
473. My father's SS# did not start out with 473.

That was very interesting..... Thanks for sharing that. For what it's worth,
I too have done SS# searches as some suggested herein, much information is
out there! As to Radio Shack, the ONLY time - they've asked me for my name,
address and "phone number" as of late (SS# was not requested) - was when I
returned some merchandise. Otherwise, when "buying", they didn't inquire.

cl
 
D

Don Bruder

Jan 1, 1970
0
There is a way to access the Social Security death index - genealogists
use it all the time. I believe you can get to it through Rootsweb. There
you can see SS#s galore. If you do a search on your surname (or a similar
spelling of it), you could get thousands. I just give my dad's SS# - he
has been dead for over 50 years.

Well, personally, that's sounding way too much like work to come up with
something to give in response to a question that has no legitimate
purpose in being asked.

I prefer my response:

Clerk: And your phone number?
Me: You don't need it.
Clerk. We have to have it or we can't <whatever>
Me: TIs the money laying on the counter in front of you enough to cover
the purchase?
Clerk: <Looks/counts> Uh, yes, it appears it is.
Me. <picking up purchases and heading for the door> Discussion over.
Have a nice day.
 
T

Tom Stiller

Jan 1, 1970
0
I think almost every state has migrated to the Soundex system for ID and
driver's license numbers. You will note that the first four characters in
your DL or ID number is the first letter of your surname and then three
numbers based on the consonents in your surname. This is the Soundex value
of your surname and it is the basis of sorting and indexing US and some
state census information since before 1870. Soundex was not used to
generate any part of a SS#. Based on my surname, Ferman, my Soundex in the
census and my drivers license first four are F655, but my SS# starts out
473. My father's SS# did not start out with 473.

The first three digits are defined by the location from which the SSn
was issued.
 
R

Richard Kaszeta

Jan 1, 1970
0
One thing you need to remember is that SS#s bear a relation to one's
location and other factors. In other words the first SS# was not
000-00-0001.

A number of sources I've seen list the first issues SSN as
055-09-0001, while the lowest issued one was 001-01-0001.
Most organizations that put SS#s into a database will have an
algorithym to detect improper numbers based on the was SSA formulates the
number.

In the early 90s, a lot people would question my SSN's legimitacy,
since my card (which had been issued to me at the ripe old age of 14)
had a SSN that started with an unusually high number for someone in my
current location (Michigan, the card had been issued in Arizona).
Also, my card was white, while most other cards for people my age were
mottled blue, although I've since been issued a blue replacement (that
also no longer says "not to be used for identification purposes" on
it). People seem to have gotten used to it, however, since I don't
get comments on it anymore (although my SSN doesn't get used as much
as it used to, either).

I also know some older people with 700-728 series numbers which raise
eyebrows (The 700-728 range was issued by the Railroad Board).
 
D

DaveM

Jan 1, 1970
0
Richard Kaszeta said:
A number of sources I've seen list the first issues SSN as
055-09-0001, while the lowest issued one was 001-01-0001.


In the early 90s, a lot people would question my SSN's legimitacy,
since my card (which had been issued to me at the ripe old age of 14)
had a SSN that started with an unusually high number for someone in my
current location (Michigan, the card had been issued in Arizona).
Also, my card was white, while most other cards for people my age were
mottled blue, although I've since been issued a blue replacement (that
also no longer says "not to be used for identification purposes" on
it). People seem to have gotten used to it, however, since I don't
get comments on it anymore (although my SSN doesn't get used as much
as it used to, either).

I also know some older people with 700-728 series numbers which raise
eyebrows (The 700-728 range was issued by the Railroad Board).

The facts can be found at the SSA web site at
http://www.ssa.gov/history/ssn/firstcard.html.
Indeed, the lowest card number issued was 001-01-0001, as mentioned on the SSA
web site. It tells that Grace D. Owen of Concord, New Hampshire was issued the
number. on Nov 24, 1936.

http://www.ssa.gov/history/ssn/geocard.html gives the SS Administration's card
numbering system. On that page is a link to a table containing legitimate area
and group number combinations issued to date. This is probably the algorithm
that was mentioned.

--
Dave M
MasonDG44 at comcast dot net (Just substitute the appropriate characters in the
address)

Make it idiot-proof and someone will make a better idiot.
 
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