The majority of identity theft involves a compromised social security number (SSN). The protection of SSNs can be improved by implementing a process to provide single use numbers (SUNs) in place of actual SSNs – thereby virtually eliminating identity theft.
SUNs are already used in the credit card industry to reduce fraud. The SSA can do the same by providing a web and phone portal for consumers to request a SUN for a transaction or form that requires a SSN. Proper safeguards (e.g. encryption, two-factor authentication, notification) can be implemented to ensure that a SUN request is authentic and that a consumer is aware that such a request was made. A similar back-end process would also be needed for institutions to verify identity and retrieve relevant records using a SUN.