Now there are essential reasons why individuals and businesses need to find information by doing an SSN lookup. These reasons can and often do involve a search to verify that the details submitted on a CV for a position are actually valid. These reasons do not have to be commercial, they can also be for personal use.
You’re probably reading this right now and asking yourself perfectly valid questions like: if I look up John Doe’s SSN, is that ethical? Is it an invasion of ‘his privacy from him’ from him? Well, I think the answer to these questions is twofold. First of all, ‘your data’ has been verified many times. Yeah, remember when you were applying for a car loan, health insurance, maybe a mortgage. See what I mean? Second, do you think you would consider ‘ethics’ if you were looking to hire a nanny for the children? I’m sure if you’re like me, you’ll want to be “sure” that you’re making the right choice.
Many employers commonly use Social Security Numbers to check the criminal, driving, and credit records of their applicants. When it comes to credit, the SSN can help you check someone’s credit, which is often necessary if you’re a homeowner or considering hiring a contractor to install a new kitchen.
Okay, so now you understand the basic situation where you or an employer may require an SSN lookup, so what can you do? Especially if you are looking for free methods!
If you are an employer or landlord and want to find details about a person through their SSN, the first search is relatively easy and it’s also free! You can do this by logging on to the US Social Security website at ssa.gov/employer/ssnv.htm. This will allow verification of up to 10 social security numbers per day! It’s amazing how few people know about this site!
Additional searches can be done with online services such as USATrace.com, which allows you to enter a person’s name and SSN to learn more about them. While the initial search is free, finding more detailed information will cost a small fee.
A little to the side here! Sometimes the need to find a person online is not driven by commercial or business reasons, but simply by looking for a family member as part of a genealogy search, perhaps the missing piece in a puzzle; a useful site for that is ancestry.com.
Sometimes it is also important to check if some SSNs are up to date. If you’re suspicious of a social security number and wondering if it’s “current,” there’s a free website where you can look up the SSN record of deceased people, as identity scammers can assume a deceased person’s identity. The site address for this is ssdi.rootsweb.com.
For reasons of confidentiality and identity fraud prevention, online databases will not be able to provide you with the ability to reverse lookup records. This is understandable and acceptable. How would you feel if someone could search and replicate your SSN details at will?
What this means is that you may need to use a private investigator or use an online private investigation service if your SSN lookup does not provide answers for ‘free’. Such online providers include iinfosearch.com and civilrecords.org; At this stage, you should now consider that you are now entering the realm of “paid searches” and ask yourself if it is really worth spending money to track down that person or you will miss out. important information that could cost you time or money in the long run?