Spotting Fake SS Cards
HRsage
409 Posts
Okay, I know we can't be expected to be experts on detecting fake social security cards when they are presented to us, but are there any sources out there that can provide us with tips on how to spot them? I have been coming across more cards that appear to be fake but they don't appear fake enough to tell the person that I can't except it. How much questioning, if any, can we do when we are presented with a card that appears to be fake? What do you guys do when you come across this? Thanks.
Comments
While the INS requires a good faith effort for documenting an I-9, eventually then you get that letter from SS saying you have erroneous #'s you do have to deal with it eventually.
-- when checking the SS card, the signature line is actually a microscopic line of lettering that spells out Social Security Administration over and over. If you look at it with one those magnifying gizmos that the Printing folks use, you can see. It's on the "newer" cards....not the older ones. A fake card is just a line.
-- the IRS has issued IRS tax ID #’s to individuals who cannot get social security number. These numbers, which begin with 8 or 9, are not valid SSN’s and cannot be used for social security number purposes. This should be a red flag to you that the person you are considering for employment may not be legally authorized to work in the U.S.
We also put into place the following procedure to verify that the social security number does match the name at the time that we hire employees:
To do that we need to do two things: verify the social security numbers and the names through the SSA, and ensure that the names that you put into the Lawson system (HRIS) exactly match the name on the employees’ social security card.
Verification of Social Security Numbers (SSN) and Names
To verify the SSN and names you need the following information: employer tax ID number, which is ##-########; the SSN; the name exactly as it appears on the social security card; the employee’s date of birth; and the gender of the employee. As is evident, you will need to see the employee’s social security card even if the employee does not offer the social security card as a document for I-9 authorization to work in the U.S. This is not an INS issue; it is a SSA issue.
You will verify the SSN and names during the orientation process. You have to wait until that time because this would be the earliest time that you will be able to see the employee’s date of birth. You verify the information by calling your local SSA office.
Hope this gives you some additional information about the cards
>-- the IRS has issued IRS tax ID #’s to individuals who cannot get
>social security number.
Boy! Now there's a piece of congressional genius! And I guess if they can't drive, they get a pilot's license.
On the newer cards, you can run your fingernail across the pillars pictured on the right and left sides of the card and if they are raised, the card is more likely to be real.
Another thing to watch for, which I caught completely by chance on one employee, is to check the issue date on the employee's ID card. We had an employee present us with an ID card that was supposedly issued by the DMV on a Sunday! I don't know of any DMVs that are open on Sundays. Needless to say, we did not continue to employ this person.