When a mystery shop company goes out of business or the mystery shopper resigns from a mystery shop company, what does that company do with your social security number that you had to give to them?

Ah, one of life's great mysteries Lets see, the last I heard from Datatron the Sheriff had seized all furniture, computers and equipment to auction to satisfy unpaid rent. That means that someone out there bought for probably a few dollars all shopper and client information. Hopefully it was password protected, but who knows?

Then there was the scheduler who suggested she work with company X and wanted access to their computers to see if they were compatible or some such bull. Company X was a little disturbed to discover she was transferring their database to her machine. Did they have our social security numbers encrypted?

The Federal Government is currently providing my significant other a year or eighteen months of identity theft protection because Homeland Security got hacked.

If you resign or stop shopping for a company and several years later try to register, their system will tell you that that social security number has already been used.

I went to the dentist for an estimate and they would not even give me that without filling out their paperwork including my social security number. I gave them my information because a 'rough estimate' over the phone sounded reasonable. When their real estimate came back at more than 4X that amount for exactly what I had asked about over the phone, I choose not to be a client with them. A month or so later my local news had their reporter and camera man out by the dentist's dumpster showing patient records thrown in the dumpster without shredding.

Always assume that your social security is floating around out there. Heck, back when I went to college our grades were posted 'anonymously' on the wall outside the department office by social security number.

One of the best ways to protect your information and identity is to get a credit freeze or a security freeze. If someone is trying to steal your identity and is applying for a loan, credit card, etc. in your name, the freeze will stop them because the loan or credit card (or other) company needs access to your credit reports in order to decide if the applicant is credit worthy. So even if someone has stolen your SS# they won't be able to get credit cards or loans in your name.

If you are not applying for loans, etc. you freeze your credit, and then later, if you are applying for credit, you can unfreeze it either permanently or temporarily. Each state has different procedures for this, and the cost (which is minimal) will vary by state. You have to do a freeze with each of the three credit agencies (Experian, TransUnion, Equifax).

The Federal Trade Commission has a lot of information about how this works, how to do it:
[www.consumer.ftc.gov]

I don't know if that has changed. At one point I had concerns and was told I could get a 90 day freeze, which I did, but that it would automatically lapse at the end of 90 days and I would need some sort of proof to get a permanent freeze. Of course I forgot about the freeze when I went to open a cell phone account with an associate I had previously shopped who did a great, intelligent and thoughtful presentation. In order to complete the deal I had to drive back home across town to phone in to authorize them to get a credit report because they would only release from my home phone.

This concerned me as well when I started. So I went to IRS website and applied for an EIN #. None of my MS companies have my SS#.

@MysVal wrote:

This concerned me as well when I started. So I went to IRS website and applied for an EIN #. None of my MS companies have my SS#.

Good point about the EIN. I have one and use it at every MSC possible. There are a few whose websites don't allow input of EINs, they seem to be programmed for the 000-00-0000 format.

Unfortunately, an MSC is only one of many many places where a data breach can happen.

As for doing a credit freeze, as far as I know the current set-up doesn't restrict you to 90 days.

I STRONGLY urge checking out the FTC website noted in my earlier post. Anyone who doesn't need credit and just wants to be protected should really consider doing a freeze. Best way to fend off identity theft.

I actually just ran into that issue yesterday and found that when I did xx-xxxxxxx format, it went through just fine. Hope that helps for the future.

@nutmegstategirl wrote:

Good point about the EIN. I have one and use it at every MSC possible. There are a few whose websites don't allow input of EINs, they seem to be programmed for the 000-00-0000 format.

Unfortunately, an MSC is only one of many many places where a data breach can happen.

As for doing a credit freeze, as far as I know the current set-up doesn't restrict you to 90 days.

I STRONGLY urge checking out the FTC website noted in my earlier post. Anyone who doesn't need credit and just wants to be protected should really consider doing a freeze. Best way to fend off identity theft.

"I actually just ran into that issue yesterday and found that when I did xx-xxxxxxx format, it went through just fine. Hope that helps for the future."

MysVal, I always try EIN first, but there are some that just won't take it......