Date: Tue, 5 Jan 93 11:17:40 -0500
From: Susanna Elaine Johnson <sej3e@kelvin.seas.virginia.edu>
Newsgroups: comp.society.privacy
Subject:  SSN
Organization: Computer Privacy Digest
X-Submissions-To: comp-privacy@pica.army.mil
X-Administrivia-To: comp-privacy-request@pica.army.mil
X-Computer-Privacy-Digest: Volume 2, Issue 002, Message 1 of 1


INTRODUCTION

So ingrained into our everyday lives is the social security number (SSN) that 
it is difficult to believe there was no such thing just a generation ago.  The 
SSN was created in the 1930's to serve the limited purpose of enrolling those 
persons covered by the original Social Security Act.  This mammoth government 
insurance program needed a mechanism to efficiently and accurately segregate 
the earnings, payments and benefits of millions of individuals.

The social security numbering system was designed to do just that.  Its unique 
nine digit format allows for individual registration of nearly one billion 
persions.  Since issuance of the first SSN in 1936, some 300 million other 
numbers have followed.  Thus, with over two thirds of the possible numbers 
still unassigned, the Social Security Administration has a tool that will meet 
its needs for many decades - even many generations - to come.

However, the SSN has also come to play a far bigger role than its creaters 
could have ever envisioned.  From job applications, to tax returns, to 
driver's licences, to educational records, the SSN has vecome the standard 
identifier used on a wide variety of records.  The decision of so many offices 
to adopy the SSN for their own purposes is understandable.  THere is no more 
widely held number in the country.  Most individuals acquire an SSN at a 
fairly early age, generally no later than the time they enter the work force.  
And, unlike names and addresses, a person's SSN cannot be duplicated or 
changed.  An SSN, once issued, is ours to keep.  It never changes.  The SSN is 
truly the "universal identifier."

USES SND ABUSES

For those involved in pre-employment screening, the widespread use of the SSN 
creates both certain problems and certain opportunities.  Many offices 
maintaining public or educational records index their files by SSN.  To gain 
access to these records, employers will frequently have to furnish a job 
applicant's SSN.  With a correct SSN in hand, an employer will be able to 
obtain a broad spectrum of data of great significance in pre-employment 
investigations.  Without it, however, the employer will be blocked from 
receiving accurate information.

The dangers created by this state of affairs are obvious.  A clever applicant 
with something to hide may intentionally supply a falsified number.  Other 
less malevolent, but somewhat careless, individuals may inadvertently furnish 
correct numbers.  In either case, obtaining the records necessary for a 
complete background check will often be difficult or impossible.  The 
investigative process may be stymied.

Fortunately, with just a little knowledge about how the social security 
numbering system works, it is possible for employers to spot many incorrect or 
falsified numbers.  This Guide will provide the information you need as well 
as an easy-to-use table for checking specific SSN's.

COMPONENTS OF THE SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER

The SSN's nine numeric characters can be separated into three basic 
components.  Each of the three sections plays a different role.  To illustrate 
how the parts fit together, we will use the sample number 987-65-4320.  As 
will become clear, this is actually an impossible number, but it serves well 
as an example.

1.  The Area Number.

The first three digits (987-65-4320) constitute the SSN's "area number."  This 
portion of the SSN indicates the state or territory 8in which the holder 
resided at the time the card was issued.  Each state and territory has been 
assigned unique area numbers.  Thus, for example, the state of Missouri has 
been assigned areas 486 through 500.  All applications for enrollment in the 
social security system showing a Missouri return address will have an area 
number somewhere within this range.

This geographic cue can significantly aid pre-employment screening 
investigations.  If a job applicant lists Alabama as the state of his birth 
and formative years, but his SSN has a New York area number, a prospective 
employer should probably ask about New York contacts.  There may be a ligical 
explanation for this apparent discrepancy, but the applicant may also be 
hiding something in his background.

Also, many possible area numbers have not been activated at all.  At present, 
SSN's have been assigned only within the following ranges:

        Active areas    001 - 587
                        589 - 626
                        700 - 728

Any claimed SSN with its first three digits outside the bounds of these ranges 
cannot be valid.  The table at the end of this Guide shows specifically which 
states and territories have been assigned each of the active area nunbers.

2.  The Group Number

The second two digits in the SSN (987-65-4320), together called the "group 
number", constitute another key to spotting falsified or erroneous SSN's.

The group number serves to break down SSNs for a given state into more 
manageable blocks.  While a group number theoretically may be any two digit 
number from 01 to 99, many possible groups within each state's allotment have 
not yet been used.  Any claimed SSN with one of these unused group numbers can 
be presumed invalid.

Determining which group numbers have been used for a given state's SSNs is 
actually a fairly easy matter.  For each state the order in which the groups 
are activated follows the same logical pattern.  When you know where in this 
pattern a given state is, you can instantly tell which group numbers are 
valid for the state and which are not.

The pattern by which group numbers are assigned is explained below in the 
section headed "The Numbering Sequence."

3.  Serial Number.

The last four digits (987-65-4320) are called the "serial number."  This may 
be any four digit number from 0001 to 9999.  THis serial number in a given SSN 
simply shows its numerical position within a group.  Our sample, 987-65-4320, 
for example, would be number 4320 among SSN's within group 65 and area 987.

No valid SSNs will have a serial number of 0000.  Beyond this, any other 
serial numbers in a valid group and area are potentially valid.

THE NUMBERING SEQUENCE

Fore the residents of each state, social security numbers are assigned 
according to rules whic, while logical, are not natural.  That is, the rules 
make sence once they are understood but they do not follow the pattern which 
most people would expect.

Because of the unusual numbering system, it iw quite likely that many 
applicants who intentionally or inadvertently supply incorrect social security 
numbers will actuall pick "impossible" group and area combinations.  Many of 
these can be easily detected.

There are two basic patters which govern the assignment of SSN's in each 
state's areas:

Rule 1.  The Odd-Even-Even-Odd Rule.

The two digit group in the middle of the SSN is, in some tespects, the key to 
determining validity.  While these numbers may range from 01 to 99, groups for 
a given state are not assigned in straight numerical order.  The Social 
Security Administration has adopted a unique "odd-even-even-odd" pattern for 
opening these groups.

For SSN's in each state's area range, the first groups used are those with odd 
numbers below 10.  These groups are simply taken in ascending order (01,03, 
05, 07 and 09).  After all SSNs alloted in these groups have been issued, even 
group number 10 and above (10, 12, 14, 16,...98) are activated, also in 
ascending order.

When group 98 is reached, the Social Security Administration then returns to 
even group numbers below 10, and finally, odd group numbers above 10.

>From this, one vital point emerges.  When you know the group number currently 
being used for a given area, you will instantly know which groups have 
preceded it and which have not yet been used.

The following examples may help your understanding of the Odd-Even-Even-Odd 
Rule:

Example 1.  For Maine residents, SSNs with an 004 area are currently being 
assigned a group number of 86 (004-86-XXXX).  In light of the 
Odd-Even-Even-Odd Rule, you can conclude the following about SSNs beginning
with an 004 area number:

        a.      Any such SSN with an odd group number less than 10 may be
                valid.
        b.      Any SSN with an even group number higher than 86 is invalid.
                (for example, 004-94-1234).
        c.      Any SSN with an even group number less than 10 is invalid.
                (for example, 004-08-1234)
        d.      Any SSN with an odd group number greater than 10 is also
                invalid (for example, 004-85-1234).

Example 2.  In Maryland, for area number 212, SSNs are currently being 
assigned group number 17.  From this, you can infer the following about SSNs 
in the 212 area:

        a.      SSNs for this area may have any odd group number less than 10.
        b.      Valid SSNs may also have any even group number.
        c.      Any SSN with a 212 area and an odd group number greater than
                17 is not a valid number.

Example 3.  In Michigan, SSNs with a 362 area number are, at present, being
assigned to the 04 group.  The following conclusions are possible:

        a.      Any odd group number less than 10 may be valid.
        b.      Any even group number 10 or greater may be valid.
        c.      Any even group number greater than 04 but less than
                10 is invalid.
        d.      Any odd group number greater than 10 is invalid.

Rule 2.  The Group Rollover Rule.

For each state's area(s), all SSNs with a given group number are issued before 
any with the next group number are issued.  Within the group, numbers are 
issued in all area, from the lowest through the highest.  For example, in New 
Hampshire (areas 001 to 003), the Group Rollover Rule dictates that:

        001-52-5555 is followed by 001-52-5556;
        001-52-9999 is followed by 002-52-0001, and not by 001-54-0001;
        003-53-9999 is followed by 001-54-0001 (new group).

Like the Odd-Even-Even-Odd Rule, this goes counter to what most people would 
guess.  Just remember that the group controls the area, not the other way 
around.

A SIMPLE METHOD

While a basic understanding of the social security numbering system is 
invaluable, the Social Security Number Table at the end of this Guide will 
take much of the work out of evaluations of particular SSNs.

Based on information compiled by the Social Security Administration through 
December 1987, the table is comprised of three parts.

The first column lists, in order, each possible three digit area number.  Both 
those areas that have been activated and those that have not yet been used are 
included.  When presented with a specific SSN, you can quickly isolate those 
with invalid area numbers.

The next four colums, when taken together, show the group numbers that are 
possible for each area.  Individually, these columns reveal the highest active 
group number in four separate categories, namely:

        odd group numbers less than 10.
        even group numbers greater than or equal to 10.
        even group numbers less than 10.
        odd group numbers greater than 10.

The categories follow the order in which groups are assigned.  For more on 
this pattern, see the discussion above on the Odd-Even-Even-Odd Rule.

To check a given SSN, simply find its area number in column 1.  Then, select 
the appropriate group column to see if the area-group combination you have 
been supplied is possible.

For example, suppose a job applicant listed 510-09-1234 as his social security 
number.  This SSN falls in the 509 to 515 area range found in column 1.  You 
see that SSNs with this area number are being issued.  However, there is a 
problem with the group number.  Column 4 shows that for this area no even 
group numbers less than 10 had been issued as of December 31, 1987.  The SSN 
reported by the applicant cannot be valid.

The third part of the table (column 6) allows you to math each area number to 
its assigned state.  If an applicant claiming to have lived in Florida all his 
life produces an SSN of 540-09-1234, you may have reason to be suspect.  The 
table shows that while this is a valid number, it would have been issued to an 
Oregon resident.  A deeper investigation may be in order.


USING THE TABLE

A few additional examples of how the table could be used in particular 
situations may help you understand more about its application to background 
investigations.

Example 1:  A New Jersey job applicant supplies an SSN of 153-52-1234.  The 
table shows that 153 is indeed within the range of SSNs issued to New Jersey 
residents.  Further, column 3 shows that SSNs with a group number of 52 have 
been issued in the state.  On the face ofthings, you have no reason to doubt 
this is a valid SSN.

Example 2:  A job applicant from Florida supplies an SSN of 590-72-2222.  The 
table reveals that 590 is a Florida SSN (column 6).  However, column 3 shows 
that the SSNs group number (72) is too high to be correct.  The highest even 
group number greater than or equal to 10 for the area is 60.  This is an 
invalid  number.

Example 3:  A Colorado applicant lists an SSN of 522-65-1234.  Looking at 
columns 1 and 6, you can see that there is no problem with the area number 
since area 522 has indeed been assigned to Colorado residents.  However, 
column 5 reveals that no group 65 SSNs have yet been issued in the state.

Example 4:  Another job applicant supplies 627-66-1234 as his SSN.  This is 
not a valid number.  Column 1 shows that area 627 is still unassigned.  No 
SSNs with this area number have ever been assigned.

Just a few uses of the Social Security Number Table will show how easy it is 
to catch many incorrect SSNs.


SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER TABLE

AREA    HIGHEST GROUP NUMBERS           STATE OR TERRITORY
NUMBER  odd<10 even>=10 even<10 odd>10

000     none   none     none    none    unassigned
001     09     74       none    none    New Hampshire
002-003 09     72       none    none    New Hampshire
004     09     86       none    none    Maine
005-007 09     84       none    none    Maine
008     09     70       none    none    Vermont
009     09     68       none    none    Vermont
010-029 09     68       none    none    Massachusetts
030-034 09     66       none    none    Massachusetts
035-037 09     56       none    none    Rhode Island
038-039 09     54       none    none    Rhode Island
040-041 09     82       none    none    Connecticut
042-049 09     80       none    none    Connecticut
050-119 09     72       none    none    New York
120-134 09     70       none    none    New York
135-152 09     82       none    none    New Jersey
153-158 09     80       none    none    New Jersey
159-184 09     68       none    none    Pennsylvania
185-211 09     66       none    none    Pennsylvania
212-216 09     98       08      17      Maryland
217-220 09     98       08      15      Maryland
221-222 09     72       none    none    Delaware
223-228 09     98       08      45      Virginia
229-231 09     98       08      43      Virginia
232     09     98       08      33      North Carolina
                                        West Virginia
233-234 09     98       08      33      West Virginia
235-236 09     98       08      31      West Virginia
237-246 09     98       08      55      North Carolina
247-248 09     98       08      71      South Carolina
249-251 09     98       08      69      South Carolina
252-258 09     98       08      61      Georgia
259-260 09     98       08      59      Georgia
261-267 09     98       08      99      Florida
268-272 09     88       none    none    Ohio
273-302 09     86       none    none    Ohio
303-309 09     98       02      none    Indiana
310-317 09     98       none    none    Indiana
318     09     80       none    none    Illinois
319-361 09     78       none    none    Illinois
362-367 09     98       04      none    Michigan
368-386 09     98       02      none    Michigan
387-397 09     98       none    none    Wisconsin
398-399 09     96       none    none    Wisconsin
400-406 09     98       08      33      Kentucky
407     09     98       08      31      Kentucky
408     09     98       08      57      Tennessee
409-415 09     98       08      55      Tennessee
416-424 09     98       08      27      Alabama
425-428 09     98       08      59      Mississippi
429-431 09     98       08      67      Arkansas
432     09     98       08      65      Arkansas
433-438 09     98       08      67      Louisiana
439     09     98       08      65      Louisiana
440-441 09     92       none    none    Oklahoma
442-448 09     90       none    none    Oklahoma
449-463 09     98       08      91      Texas
464-467 09     98       08      89      Texas
468-472 09     98       08      13      Minnesota
473-477 09     98       08      11      Minnesota
478-481 09     98       08      13      Iowa
482-485 09     98       08      11      Iowa
486-490 09     96       none    none    Missouri
491-500 09     94       none    none    Missouri
501     09     98       08      11      North Dakota
502     09     98       08      none    North Dakota
503     09     98       08      13      South Dakota
504     08     98       08      11      South Dakota
505     09     98       08      21      Nebraska
506-508 09     98       08      19      Nebraska
509-515 09     94       none    none    Kansas
516     09     98       08      15      Montana
517     09     98       08      13      Montana
518-519 09     98       08      23      Idaho
520     09     98       08      15      Wyoming
521-524 09     98       08      59      Colorado
525     09     98       08      69      New Mexico
526-527 09     98       08      99      Arizona
528     09     98       08      75      Utah
529     09     98       08      73      Utah
530     09     98       08      27      Nevada
531     09     98       08      none    Washington
532-539 09     98       06      none    Washington
540-544 09     98       08      21      Oregon
545-573 09     98       08      99      California
574     09     92       none    none    Alaska*
575-576 09     98       08      39      Hawaii
577     09     98       08      15      District of Columbia
578-579 09     98       08      13      District of Columbia
580     09     98       08      21      Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands*
581-584 09     98       08      99      Puerto Rico
585     09     98       08      67      New Mexico
586     09     84       none    none    Guam*
                                        American Samoa
                                        North Mariana Islands
                                        Philippines
587     09     98       08      59      Mississippi
588     none   none     none    none    Mississippi
589-591 09     60       none    none    Florida
592-595 09     58       none    none    Florida
596-597 09     14       none    none    Puerto Rico
598-599 09     12       none    none    Puerto Rico
600     09     50       none    none    Arizona
601     09     48       none    none    Arizona
602-620 03     none     none    none    California
621-626 01     none     none    none    California
627-699 none   none     none    none    Unassigned
700-723 09     18       none    none    RR Retirement**
724     09     28       none    none    RR Retirement**
725-726 09     18       none    none    RR Retirement**
727     09     10       none    none    RR Retirement**
728     09     14       none    none    RR Retirement**
729-999 none   none     none    none    Unassigned

* SSNs in these areas also assigned to Southeast Asian refugees during period 
from April 1975 through November 1979.

** No longer issued.