I remember being on the customer service side of this issue.
When I was teenager working for a video store in the late ’90’s (yeah VHS!) we asked for people’s SSN’s as part of the application process. We’d ask for their SSN because it was one of the options for the 2 items to confirm their identity. We needed a driver’s license and one other form.
At that time in my life I didn’t realize protecting one’s SSN was so important. I was simply doing as I was told. Some people just gave their SSN’s so they didn’t have to go home to get a utility bill to confirm their identity (we didn’t accept credit cards as a form of identity). But some people were really upset that I even asked them for their SSN. That was when I started to get the impression that our SSN’s are particularly important to protect (because I remember being confused when people became so confrontational!)
Hey Matt,
I remember being on the customer service side of this issue.
When I was teenager working for a video store in the late ’90’s (yeah VHS!) we asked for people’s SSN’s as part of the application process. We’d ask for their SSN because it was one of the options for the 2 items to confirm their identity. We needed a driver’s license and one other form.
At that time in my life I didn’t realize protecting one’s SSN was so important. I was simply doing as I was told. Some people just gave their SSN’s so they didn’t have to go home to get a utility bill to confirm their identity (we didn’t accept credit cards as a form of identity). But some people were really upset that I even asked them for their SSN. That was when I started to get the impression that our SSN’s are particularly important to protect (because I remember being confused when people became so confrontational!)
Blessings-