Credit Card might-as-well-equal SSN

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Subject: Credit Card might-as-well-equal SSN
Date: Tue, 09 Sep 1997 15:17:52 -0400
From: glen mccready <glen@qnx.com>
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PRIVACY Forum Digest      Monday, 8 September 1997      Volume 06 : Issue 12

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Date:    Wed, 13 Aug 1997 21:38:55 -0500
From:    MSproul <msproul@arnet.arn.net>
Subject: U-Haul/Credit Cards/Social Security Numbers


Today I went to the local U-Haul to rent a small trailer to move a lawn
tractor. In the course of filling out the rental agreement I was asked for
my drivers license then asked for my social security number which I refused
to give. (Texas does not have SSN on the driver's license) The agent then
asked for a credit card, which I was planning to use to charge the rental.
During the subsequent discussion the agent told me that since the Oklahoma
bombing if they don't get a SSN they are required to to get a credit card
number as a second form of identification. They can then get the SSN from
the credit card issuer.

Questions: Is this for real?  How wide spread is this?  What does U-Haul do
with your SSN? How difficult is it for someone (company) to get your SSN
when you use your credit card?

M. L. Sproul
Amarillo, TX

                [ Under current law, your SSN is part of what's called
                  "credit header" data, and is (no longer) protected
                  under the FCRA (Fair Credit Reporting Act).

                  This means that for all intents and purposes, your
                  SSN is public information.

                                -- MODERATOR ]

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-----------------
Robert Hettinga (rah@shipwright.com), Philodox
e$, 44 Farquhar Street, Boston, MA 02131 USA
"... however it may deserve respect for its usefulness and antiquity,
[predicting the end of the world] has not been found agreeable to
experience." -- Edward Gibbon, 'Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire'
The e$ Home Page: http://www.shipwright.com/

>Today I went to the local U-Haul to rent a small trailer to move a lawn
>tractor. In the course of filling out the rental agreement I was asked for
>my drivers license then asked for my social security number which I refused
>to give. (Texas does not have SSN on the driver's license) The agent then
>asked for a credit card, which I was planning to use to charge the rental.
>During the subsequent discussion the agent told me that since the Oklahoma
>bombing if they don't get a SSN they are required to to get a credit card
>number as a second form of identification. They can then get the SSN from
>the credit card issuer.
>Questions: Is this for real?  How wide spread is this?  What does U-Haul do
>with your SSN? How difficult is it for someone (company) to get your SSN
>when you use your credit card?

Did you ask if it was a U-Haul requirement or a Texas one?

If you've ever given your SSN when applying for a credit card,
you can be pretty sure they've got your SSN in the credit report.
Perhaps if you've got a secured debit card of some sort
you've been able to keep it separate from your other credit history,
if any, but most people have slipped at least once, or had an account
at a bank that collected the SSN for tax reasons and then included it
in credit reports.

What U-Haul actually does with it is probably just keeping the
credit card number on file, since actually doing a credit report
would cost them more money than they want to spend on you
unless you haven't returned the trailer or there's a big kaboom.
They may also sell the transaction record data they do have.

At 03:52 PM 9/9/97 -0400, you wrote:
>
>--- begin forwarded text
>
>
>Resent-Date: Tue, 9 Sep 1997 15:18:47 -0400
>X-Authentication-Warning: qnx.com: localhost [127.0.0.1] didn't use HELO
>protocol
>To: 0xdeadbeef@substance.abuse.blackdown.org
>Subject: Credit Card might-as-well-equal SSN
>Date: Tue, 09 Sep 1997 15:17:52 -0400
>From: glen mccready <glen@qnx.com>
>Resent-From: 0xdeadbeef@substance.abuse.blackdown.org
>X-Mailing-List: <0xdeadbeef@substance.abuse.blackdown.org>
archive/latest/2196
>X-Loop: 0xdeadbeef@substance.abuse.blackdown.org
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>Resent-Sender: 0xdeadbeef-request@substance.abuse.blackdown.org
>
>
>Forwarded-by: Nev Dull <nev@bostic.com>
>Forwarded-by: Jon Loeliger <jdl@jdl.com>
>
[stuff cut]
>Questions: Is this for real?  How wide spread is this?  What does U-Haul do
>with your SSN? How difficult is it for someone (company) to get your SSN
>when you use your credit card?
>
>M. L. Sproul
>Amarillo, TX
>
>                [ Under current law, your SSN is part of what's called
>                  "credit header" data, and is (no longer) protected
>                  under the FCRA (Fair Credit Reporting Act).
>
>                  This means that for all intents and purposes, your
>                  SSN is public information.
>
>                                -- MODERATOR ]
>

It has been some time since I have seen an actual credit report, but as I
remeber, TRW and CBI both report the persons SS# when you do a credit
check. CBI has a search by SS# that will give you credit history and
address from a SS#.. I did quite a few credit checks in my younger, more
criminalistic days..