Social
Security Number Information is part of the The Texas Business Development
Center's free information web portals.
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Social Security Numbers Can Reveal A Lot Of
Information
In the United States a Social
Security Number (SSN) is considered the standard
identifier for everyone from childhood to death and
beyond, and is used by many government and private
institutions. Issued by the U.S.
Social Security Administration, its evolution from
being "Not For Identification" between the
years 1946 and 1972 to its present status is considered
disturbing by many because of the potential for criminal
abuse and privacy invasion, but this also makes it ideal
for investigative purposes! Each SSN is a unique identifier
assigned to only one individual. When that individual
dies their SSN is not reassigned, but rather, is used to
administer benefits to their dependents and survivors,
and becomes part of the Social
Security Death Index. Of course there are rare
situations where someone is assigned a new (second) SSN,
such as victims of identity
theft, domestic
violence, harrassment, abuse, or those who have
documentable religious / cultural objections to a
particular number. A Social Security Number is made up
of three parts totaling nine digits: AREA (AAA) - GROUP
(GG) - SERIAL (SSSS). Knowing what the different parts
mean can yield valuable information about your subject. AREA Numbers (AAA-GG-SSSS)
Prior to 1972 the AREA designated the state in which the
subject applied for their card, while after 1972
it showed the state in which the applicant resided
at the time they applied. Now it is determined by the
ZIP code in the mailing address on the person's
application for a card.
Some states have more than one group of numbers allotted
because they exhausted their original assignment of
numbers. All of the original assignments were less than
585 (except for the 700-729 railroad worker series).
Area numbers 000 were never issued and never will be
according to the SSA.
Between 1975 and 1979 the AREA / GROUP numbers 568-30
through 568-58 were assigned to Vietnamese and other
Southteast Asian refugees in California, as were numbers
within the GROUPs 574 (Alaska), 580 (Puerto Rico and the
Virgin Islands), and 586 (Pacific territories).
Use either the "AREA Number / State" Lookup or
Chart below to find the state matching the AREA number
you have. When you
find the corresponding state, keep in mind the pre and
post 1972 "issued vs. residence" differences
addressed two paragraphs above.
SSN:
AREA Number / State Chart
A A A - G
G - S S S S
GROUP Numbers (AAA-GG-SSSS) The GROUP numbers designate the
order in which SSN numbers were issued in a certain
AREA, as well as breaking the numbers into
conveniently sized block for internal SSA operations.
They have no geographic designation, but can help
determine whether a number has been assigned yet, when
you know the order of issuance and the highest number
issued for any given AREA. The SSA publishes a monthly list of
the highest GROUP numbers for each AREA called the "Highest
Group Issued," so this is easy to check right
online. GROUP numbers for any given AREA
are issued as follows, with all possible GROUP numbers
(00 is not used) in a set being assigned before the
next set is used:
Odd numbers 01 to 09
Even numbers 10 to 98
Even numbers 02 to 08
Odd numbers 11 to 99
You can combine the "Highest
Group Issued," information with the know order of
issuance to determine if an SSN is a fraud or actually
valid. For example, if the highest GROUP for AREA 624
is 84, and the number you're checking has a GROUP
number of 06, then the number must be a fraud, because
even numbers between 02 and 08 have not been issued
yet for that AREA. SERIAL Numbers (AAA-GG-SSSS) The SERIAL numbers are a straight
numerical sequence from 0001-9999 (0000 is not used)
assigned in chronological order within each AREA /
GROUP number as applications are processed. Prior to
1965, when the central SSA office took over number
assignment from the field offices, numbers may have
been assigned out of order. Current number assignments
are in strict numerical order. Invalid Or Impossible SSNs Comparing your subject's SSN to
number that are known to be invalid or impossible may
just help save you the time and/or money that come
from doing a search.
The Social Security Administration's definition of an
invalid or impossible Social Security Number (SSN) is
one which has not yet been assigned. SSNs having the
following characteristics are invalid or impossible:
Any of the three fields (AREA,
GROUP, or SERIAL) are composed of all zeroes
AREA number "666" (these
never have and never will be issued)
AREA numbers 650 to 699
AREA numbers 729 to 999, except for
764 and 765
AREA number 550, GROUP 19
(550-19-SSSS)
AREA Number 586, GROUPs 19, 29, 59
and 79-99
Refer to the SSA's monthly "Highest
Group Issued," list for currently issued
GROUP numbers. SSNs Used In Advertising
(Making Them Invalid)
Specific SSNs have been used in advertising over the
years, which has rendered those numbers invalid. The
most famous instance is that of the E. H. Ferree
Company in Lockport, New York, which in 1938 decided
to promote its product by showing how a Social
Security card would fit into its wallets. Over time
the number that appeared (078-05-1120) was claimed by
over 40,000 people as their own. The SSA tells the
whole story here.
The Social Security Administration now recommends that
people showing Social Security cards in advertisements
use numbers in the range 987-65-4320 through
987-65-4329. According to one source (I have been
unable to verify this) the following SSNs have been
used in ads:
SSNs
Used In Advertising, recommended
for advertising by the SSA.
002-28-1852
042-10-3580
062-36-0749
078-05-1120
095-07-3645
128-03-6045
135-01-6629
141-18-6941
165-16-7999
165-18-7999
165-20-7999
165-22-7999
165-24-7999
189-09-2294
212-09-7694
212-09-9999
306-30-2348
308-12-5070
468-28-8779
549-24-1889
What's Next? Now that you better understand
Social Security Numbers, you can either get some
information on finding
SSNs, or, if you already have your subject's
number, see what you can find out about them using
SSNs.
SS#
Information is a Division of The Texas Business Development Center
