Combating Identity Theft with "Smart" Social Security Cards
In 2004, nearly 44,000 Californians were victims of identity theft, the third highest state total in the country. There were 3,655 victims in Los Angeles alone. While identity thieves are known to use stolen personal information for spending sprees, identity theft is more than a crime of inconvenience, it's a crime of serious consequence: some thieves are selling Social Security information to illegal immigrants. And most disturbing is just how vulnerable our Social Security numbers and cards – the most basic proof of identity and a gateway to vital social services – are to fraud and theft.
One Chicago-area resident discovered that 37 illegal immigrants were using her Social Security number to gain employment. Other reports describe how illegal immigrants can easily purchase authentic Social Security cards for cash from identity thieves, as well as from legal immigrants willing to sell their information. Just this month, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents arrested 48 contract workers at the Seymour Johnson Air Force Base in North Carolina. The workers were illegal immigrants who used fraudulent documents, including Social Security cards, to gain employment.
There is a common sense solution to thwarting identity theft and the fraudulent use of Social Security cards: the cards must be made counterfeit-proof. While the federal government goes to great lengths to protect our currency and our passports from counterfeiting, Social Security cards are a paper relic from the 1930s.
With the help of T.J. Bonner, President of the National Border Patrol Council, I have authored bipartisan legislation, H.R. 98, the Illegal Immigration Enforcement and Social Security Protection Act of 2005, to address this serious problem. H.R. 98, also called the Bonner Plan, improves the integrity of the Social Security card by adding a digitized photo of the cardholder. These Smart Cards will also contain a unique electronic encryption code that will allow employers to verify each applicant's work eligibility prior to hiring. Smart Cards will decrease Social Security information theft and prevent illegal immigrants from using fake or stolen Social Security information to get a job.
The crime of identity theft is committed in many ways and many venues. It's critical that we take steps like implementing the Bonner Plan to eliminate potential avenues of exploitation. In the meantime, if you or someone you know is a victim of identity theft, please visit www.consumer.gov/idtheft or call the Federal Trade Commission's toll-free hotline, 1-877-ID-THEFT, for assistance.
