Many Social Security Numbers Can Be Guessed From Birthdates
A dangerously predictable pattern was used between 1989 and 2011
Think twice before posting information about your birth date online, it might be all a criminal needs to get their hands on your Social Security number.
An examination of public records has revealed a pattern in the assignment of Social Security numbers for Kansans born between 1989 and 2011, said Earl Glynn, Watchdog Labs researcher. This pattern makes it possible to guess accurately the first five or six digits of an individual's Social Security number using only his date of birth, provided he was born in Kansas, he added.
Editor's Note: As of February 29, 2024, commenting privileges on reason.com posts are limited to Reason Plus subscribers. Past commenters are grandfathered in for a temporary period. Subscribe here to preserve your ability to comment. Your Reason Plus subscription also gives you an ad-free version of reason.com, along with full access to the digital edition and archives of Reason magazine. We request that comments be civil and on-topic. We do not moderate or assume any responsibility for comments, which are owned by the readers who post them. Comments do not represent the views of reason.com or Reason Foundation. We reserve the right to delete any comment and ban commenters for any reason at any time. Comments may only be edited within 5 minutes of posting. Report abuses.
Please
to post comments
If you were born in Kansas you get what you deserve.