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Previously Used False SSN - Now trying to fix - Who do we contact?

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Anonymous
Not applicable

Previously Used False SSN - Now trying to fix - Who do we contact?

Please we really need some help.  We are aware that the mistakes he made in the past were wrong.  I am not going to excuse the situation rather explain it.  My husband was brought to this country illegally as a toddler.  When he was in high school he needed to work but he did not want to steal anyone's identity.  Friends and family members told him to just make up a random number, as that is what they all did (this is very common).  So one day he looked at his sister's social security card and changed the last digit and began using this number.  He was a teenager at this time.  Then I came into the picture and we lived together & later married.   He was given a credit card with a $5,000 limit unsolicited from Bank of America whom he had a checking account with.  He also applied for and was granted a U.S. Bank card for $300.  Later I was able to add him to my credit cards.  He worked and paid taxes but with an ITIN. 

 

Then we got married and we went through the immigration process.  It took alot of $$money$$, time, and stress.  He had to leave the country, go to the "back of the line", etc.  That's fine and we did what we needed to do.  He was approved.  He is now a permanent resident and now has a valid SSN.  I know of at least a dozen or so couples with this same issue and they are awaiting to see what kind of answers I can come up with before they can decide what to do as well.  I am part of an online community forum for I-601 waivers and this type of thing ocurring was very common.  Many people ask about it all the time and they have been told by the leading I-601 lawyer and our expert law school students on the forum that it is not a grounds for the denial of the green card or the waiver.  It was wrong but it is NOT the same as identity theft.  No one else's ID, name or DOB was *EVER* used.  He simply made up a number and started using it.  In the past we would check his credit score and all of his information came up.  After getting the valid SSN this is no longer possible.  He supposedly has high scores but he can not get a credit card.  Every company treats him like he is some sort of credit freak - and they don't want to give out to us any information. He was given more credit and more credit report information when his number was not even his.

 

So here is the update from today.  He was given his valid SSN in October 2008. 

 

Experian (the ONLY report we can see) shows a score of 680. Previously (July 2009) when we were buying a house they ran his credit at Wells Fargo and his scores were all above 700 - higher than mine...!  But when we went with a different broker a few months later he said that he could not use hubby's social security at all and that it came back with an error.  (Wells Fargo guy must have used Experian).  Since then we have tried getting credit for our flooring and we also tried to get a joint medical credit card for my dental surgery. When that didn't work he called and they were very cryptic about it. So we tried applying him for 1 or 2 student credit cards including one that both of us were able to get before previously when we had no credit. Those also did not work and were also very cryptic as to why not.

 

After putting it off for a while out of stress this week I decided to run the credit reports again and see what happened.

 

MyFico - Gives error 460 which I googled and it turns out is their fraud alert

Transunion - "Identity Verification isn't able to verify your identity ..... Contact the Customer Service Team for assistance. A Customer Service Team member can verify your identity over the phone by asking you questions about your credit history. Once your identity has been verified, the representative will immediately make your credit report available for you to view online."

Equifax - "At this time we are unable to deliver your credit file online. You may call us to request your credit file be sent to you by contacting us at 1-800-685-1111."

Experian - Shows a social security number variation. Also has a notice saying "The Social Security number that you gave us when you contacted us shows that credit was established before the number was issued." when you click on it for more details/information it says: "As part of our fraud-prevention program, we compare the date your Social Security number was issued with the dates accounts were opened. This notice indicates that your Social Security number was issued after you established credit. You may want to contact your local Social Security office if you have more questions."

Has anyone been through this specifically..?? What do I do..?? I am so lost.. Hubby is afraid to do ANYTHING about it and has me all paranoid now too. He thinks if he tells anyone (credit bureau, credit card company, etc.) the truth then he will get reported and get into legal trouble.. (you have to understand that for immigration this is not a problem or grounds for any kind of denial)

Is this something we need to handle through the credit bureaus..?? The credit card companies..?? Or the social security administration..? Is hubby being paranoid or is he right..? 

 

I understand what he did was wrong but it's not the same as identity theft and is very common (I mean millions of people, the majority of all illegal immigrants do this rather than full blown identity theft) - and now he is trying to make things RIGHT.  Neither of us want this to affect someone else (though from my research I have found out that the other person likely won't be affected and that it's possible to have 2 different credit reports for each name associated with a SSN - crazy huh..) and obviously we don't want this to affect him either..

Message 1 of 6
5 REPLIES 5
Anonymous
Not applicable

Re: Previously Used False SSN - Now trying to fix - Who do we contact?


@Anonymous wrote:

Please we really need some help.  We are aware that the mistakes he made in the past were wrong.  I am not going to excuse the situation rather explain it.  My husband was brought to this country illegally as a toddler.  When he was in high school he needed to work but he did not want to steal anyone's identity.  Friends and family members told him to just make up a random number, as that is what they all did (this is very common).  So one day he looked at his sister's social security card and changed the last digit and began using this number.  He was a teenager at this time.  Then I came into the picture and we lived together & later married.   He was given a credit card with a $5,000 limit unsolicited from Bank of America whom he had a checking account with.  He also applied for and was granted a U.S. Bank card for $300.  Later I was able to add him to my credit cards.  He worked and paid taxes but with an ITIN. 

 

Then we got married and we went through the immigration process.  It took alot of $$money$$, time, and stress.  He had to leave the country, go to the "back of the line", etc.  That's fine and we did what we needed to do.  He was approved.  He is now a permanent resident and now has a valid SSN.  I know of at least a dozen or so couples with this same issue and they are awaiting to see what kind of answers I can come up with before they can decide what to do as well.  I am part of an online community forum for I-601 waivers and this type of thing ocurring was very common.  Many people ask about it all the time and they have been told by the leading I-601 lawyer and our expert law school students on the forum that it is not a grounds for the denial of the green card or the waiver.  It was wrong but it is NOT the same as identity theft.  No one else's ID, name or DOB was *EVER* used.  He simply made up a number and started using it.  In the past we would check his credit score and all of his information came up.  After getting the valid SSN this is no longer possible.  He supposedly has high scores but he can not get a credit card.  Every company treats him like he is some sort of credit freak - and they don't want to give out to us any information. He was given more credit and more credit report information when his number was not even his.

 

So here is the update from today.  He was given his valid SSN in October 2008. 

 

Experian (the ONLY report we can see) shows a score of 680. Previously (July 2009) when we were buying a house they ran his credit at Wells Fargo and his scores were all above 700 - higher than mine...!  But when we went with a different broker a few months later he said that he could not use hubby's social security at all and that it came back with an error.  (Wells Fargo guy must have used Experian).  Since then we have tried getting credit for our flooring and we also tried to get a joint medical credit card for my dental surgery. When that didn't work he called and they were very cryptic about it. So we tried applying him for 1 or 2 student credit cards including one that both of us were able to get before previously when we had no credit. Those also did not work and were also very cryptic as to why not.

 

After putting it off for a while out of stress this week I decided to run the credit reports again and see what happened.

 

MyFico - Gives error 460 which I googled and it turns out is their fraud alert

Transunion - "Identity Verification isn't able to verify your identity ..... Contact the Customer Service Team for assistance. A Customer Service Team member can verify your identity over the phone by asking you questions about your credit history. Once your identity has been verified, the representative will immediately make your credit report available for you to view online."

Equifax - "At this time we are unable to deliver your credit file online. You may call us to request your credit file be sent to you by contacting us at 1-800-685-1111."

Experian - Shows a social security number variation. Also has a notice saying "The Social Security number that you gave us when you contacted us shows that credit was established before the number was issued." when you click on it for more details/information it says: "As part of our fraud-prevention program, we compare the date your Social Security number was issued with the dates accounts were opened. This notice indicates that your Social Security number was issued after you established credit. You may want to contact your local Social Security office if you have more questions."

Has anyone been through this specifically..?? What do I do..?? I am so lost.. Hubby is afraid to do ANYTHING about it and has me all paranoid now too. He thinks if he tells anyone (credit bureau, credit card company, etc.) the truth then he will get reported and get into legal trouble.. (you have to understand that for immigration this is not a problem or grounds for any kind of denial)

Is this something we need to handle through the credit bureaus..?? The credit card companies..?? Or the social security administration..? Is hubby being paranoid or is he right..? 

 

I understand what he did was wrong but it's not the same as identity theft and is very common (I mean millions of people, the majority of all illegal immigrants do this rather than full blown identity theft) - and now he is trying to make things RIGHT.  Neither of us want this to affect someone else (though from my research I have found out that the other person likely won't be affected and that it's possible to have 2 different credit reports for each name associated with a SSN - crazy huh..) and obviously we don't want this to affect him either..


 

You are correct in that using a made-up SSN is common -- especially amongst illegal immigrants.  However, as a former federal prosecutor I can assure you that any lawyer or other person who told you that it is not grounds for exclusion are sorely mistaken.  Using a false SSN is a felony and committing a felony is always grounds for exclusion or even revocation of a previously approved immigration status ... not to mention criminal prosecution.  In addition, if another living being shares the SSN that an individual has invented, it is usually considered identity theft -- a separate felony in and of itself.  Then there is also the issue of wire fraud and bank fraud. 

 

The good news, however, is that depending on which crime was committed the statute of limitations on prosecution may have expired.  There is also the chance that handled properly ICE will be none the wiser.

 

The question now is how to solve this problem without, as you say, causing unnecessary problems.  First of all, I would not contact the SSA about this as they will be obliged to inform law enforcement.  I might be inclined to try two different approaches.  First would be to contact your individual creditors and explain to them that your SSN has been changed.  They may ask for ID and a copy of your actual Social Security card.  If they can be convinced to change their records and report accordingly, this problem may disappear.  If the creditors are not able / willing to do this, you might consider asking them to close and reopen a new account with the correct SSN.

 

Another option might be to dispute the SSN directly with the CRA.  They will require a copy of your new Social Security card, valid ID and probably proof of residence.

 

If neither of these two options will work, I would consider just dropping the whole issue.  Close the accounts because continued use constitutes a continuing felony and start rebuilding credit with maybe a secured credit card using his correct SSN. 

 

 

 

 

Message 2 of 6
Anonymous
Not applicable

Re: Previously Used False SSN - Now trying to fix - Who do we contact?

Please help!! what is the update on your situation? Were you able to get everything cleared? what are your tips? anything you learned not to do?

 

My friend is in a very similar situation. any help is much appreciated!

 

Thank you so much!

Message 3 of 6
MarineVietVet
Moderator Emeritus

Re: Previously Used False SSN - Now trying to fix - Who do we contact?


@Anonymous wrote:

Please help!! what is the update on your situation? Were you able to get everything cleared? what are your tips? anything you learned not to do?

 

My friend is in a very similar situation. any help is much appreciated!

 

Thank you so much!


Hello and welcome.

 

The OP hasn't been back online in almost a year so you might not get your answer anytime soon. I just wanted you to be aware of that.

Message 4 of 6
Anonymous
Not applicable

Re: Previously Used False SSN - Now trying to fix - Who do we contact?

My niece has the same problem, she called credit card to tell them that the ssn has been changed and they locked their account until she sends id and ssn copies. Do you think that she is going to be in a trouble because her old ssn?  or they just want to make sure that the new ssn is real? what about if they ask her the reason the ssn changed?

Thank You !

Message 5 of 6
explorer1960
New Visitor

Re: Previously Used False SSN - Now trying to fix - Who do we contact?

I have fix the problem. It's so simple! Just send a copy of your SS card, along with copy of your ID to the Customer Service at the bank, and done! Put your account number, your name, and that's it! They don't need to know that you used a "false" SSN.

Message 6 of 6
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