I’ve always had a problem with financial companies asking me for my personal information. I’ve always done my best to get around giving information like my social security number as a means of verifying who I am when on the phone with any financial institution. This weekend I had a realization about protecting your identity and it relates to something many people do every day: Stop giving out the last 4 digits of your social security number!
The whole point of companies asking for the last 4 numbers of your social security number is to protect you and your identity.
The irony of this is that the last 4 numbers of your social security number have now come to replace the entire number (9 digits). If all it takes is those 4 numbers to fully access, modify, or alter a financial account, then isn’t giving those 4 digits out the same thing as giving the entire number out?
I never give that information out and urge you to do the same.
When the logic behind our account “security” makes no sense whatsoever, isn’t it time to make a change?
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Joshua DorkinJoshua has written 539 articles for us.
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BiggerPockets.com was founded by Joshua Reed Dorkin in August 2004. An entrepreneur, web designer, real estate investor, and one-time realtor, Joshua was not satisfied by the online offerings of other real estate sites out there, and decided to build one himself. Mr. Dorkin's vision for BiggerPockets has helped to propel it into becoming one of the top real estate destinations online. His vision for the site and its future has brought national press attention to both Mr. Dorkin and to BiggerPockets.
Joshua Dorkin
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That’s a very interesting point! How do you usually get out of it? Will they ask for another piece of information to make sure you are who you say you are?
Yes, what do you provide them that allows them to verify who they are? Have you found that they accept an alternative?