The Best Way To Prevent Fraud: A Guide To Freezing Your Social Security Number

Identity theft has become a high-stakes industry, and your Social Security number is the ultimate key for scammers. While you’re distracted by the chaos of a winter storm or busy planning a Valentine’s Day getaway, cybercriminals are banking on your lack of digital situational awareness. Your SSN is not just a random string of numbers; it’s the gateway to your financial soul, used for everything from opening fraudulent lines of credit to misusing your tax returns and medical records.

But you don’t have to cross your fingers and hope for the best. There is a free and powerful defense you can use: lock your SSN and freeze your credit.

An “SSN lock” (like E-Verify auto-lock) prevents someone from using your number to find a job, while a credit freeze prevents them from opening new credit cards or loans in your name. Yes, it adds an extra step when you need to apply for something, but it’s a tiny hassle compared to the nightmare of cleaning up after identity theft. You may even want to seek help from an identity protection service. If your information has been hacked, stop waiting and lock it down.

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How to Lock Your Social Security Number

There are two ways to block access to your Social Security number.

Call the Social Security Administration

You can contact the SSA at 1-800-772-1213 between 8 a.m. and 7 p.m. local time, Monday through Friday. Wait times are generally shorter in the morning and later in the week. Once you confirm your identity, the SSA will wave its magic wand and block electronic access to your SSN.

Create an E-Verify account

You can also create a MyE-Verify online account to lock your SSN and use the service’s auto-lock feature. The lock will last one year. But you will be alerted 30 days before it expires and you can extend the lock if you wish.

This resource is useful because many employers use E-Verify, a service administered by the SSA and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, to verify your employment eligibility.

When you lock your Social Security number, a company looking to verify your SSN will not be able to verify your identity, preventing criminals from committing fraud. This option is also convenient if you don’t want to pick up the phone every time you want to unlock your SSN.

The Downside of Locking Your SSN

The main downside to locking your SSN will sound very familiar to anyone who has implemented a credit freeze. When you block access to your SSN records, you also restrict your access to them. This means you’ll have to go to the trouble of unlocking it every time you need a new employer to verify your eligibility to work in the United States or want to receive government benefits.

This back and forth may be worth it for people who have suffered from professional identity theft and tax fraud. For additional protection against tax identity theft, you can create an identity protection PIN with the IRS to prevent someone else from filing a tax return with your SSN or individual taxpayer identification number.

What is the difference between locking your SSN and a credit freeze?

A credit freeze is different from a Social Security number lock, although both are free. One blocks access to your Social Security file online while a credit freeze restricts access to your credit reports. To proceed with a credit freeze, you will need to contact the three major credit bureaus (Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion) to prevent anyone from setting up credit accounts in your name.

Will locking my SSN protect me from identity theft?

The answer here is rather unsatisfactory: it is possible. Locking your Social Security number can prevent professional identity theft or prevent a criminal from collecting government benefits in your name. But it won’t prevent all forms of identity theft. As an added precaution, you should only share your Social Security number when absolutely necessary and never during a spontaneous call or text.

It’s also a good idea to monitor your financial accounts and credit reports for any unusual activity. If you prefer to have a service do this for you, you can sign up for a credit monitoring service or identity theft protection service. You can often sign up for credit monitoring to keep tabs on your credit reports. Identity theft protection often includes credit monitoring as well as dark web monitoring and alerts if your information is compromised in a data breach. If your identity is compromised, identity theft protection can help you get it back with white glove restoration services.

For added security, you can freeze your credit with Experian, TransUnion, and Equifax to prevent identity thieves from opening new lines of credit, like a mortgage or auto loan, in your name. I did this recently and found the process surprisingly simple.

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