Social Security Fraud Act

The Social Security Number Fraud and Identity Theft Prevention Act was introduced to the 111th Congress on May 19, 2009.

Purpose

The purpose of the proposed new legislation is to place additional protections on the use of Social Security numbers by allowing additional liberties to various governmental agencies using the numbers for fraud prevention and immigration enforcement purposes.

Committee

As of December 2009, the proposed legislation was on the docket of the House Judiciary Committee under the direction of Representative John Conyers [D-MI14.]

Records

If approved, the new law will mandate that the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and other agencies, such as the Department of Labor, require that Social Security numbers on documents used for immigration purposes and on documents required for each agency.

Information Release

The new bill also proposes that the Commission of Social Security provide relevant information such as name, address, and date of birth to DHS for each person claiming earnings under the same social security number.

Reportable Actions

The new law classifies certain actions as reportable to DHS by the Social Security Commission. Examples of individuals reportable under such actions include anyone thought to be in violation of immigration laws, those suspected of using the Social Security numbers of deceased or under-age individuals, and individuals suspected of using fake names or Social Security numbers.

References

• govtrack.us: Social Security Number Fraud and Identity Theft Prevention Act