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FTC Proposes Ways to Reduce Identity Theft

Five steps to protect Social Security numbers

December 19, 2008

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The Federal Trade Commission is recommending five measures to help prevent Social Security numbers from being used for identity theft.

Principal among them is that Congress consider taking action to strengthen the procedures that private-sector organizations use to authenticate their customers' identities.

"Identity theft continues to be a major problem in this country, with victims numbering in the millions each year and out-of-pocket losses (primarily to businesses) in the billions of dollars," the FTC states.

In its report, the commission notes that adopting nationwide standards for how businesses and other organizations verify the identity of new and existing customers would make it harder for identity thieves to use SSNs and other stolen information to consummate their fraud.

"The first step in minimizing the role of SSNs in identity theft is to limit the demand for SSNs by making it more difficult for thieves to use them to open new accounts, access existing accounts, or obtain other benefits or services," the FTC says in the report.

Currently, the only private-sector organizations subject to nationwide authentication standards are financial institutions regulated by the federal banking agencies. The FTC recommends that Congress consider establishing similar standards to cover all private-sector entities that maintain consumer accounts. Such standards would require organizations to adopt reasonable procedures for authenticating customers, but also would allow them to adopt a program that is compatible with their size and the nature of their business.

The FTC also recommends that steps be taken to reduce the unnecessary display and transmission of SSNs, but noted that such restrictions must be approached carefully. A number of important functions in the U.S. economy depend on use of and access to SSNs, and the agency concluded that overly restrictive attempts to limit the availability of SSNs could unintentionally curtail those functions.

Finally, the commission recommends steps to improve data security, increase outreach to consumers and businesses on the protection of SSNs, and enhance coordination and information-sharing among organizations that routinely use SSNs.

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