Renting & giving out your SSN/DOB, etc
#16
Re: Renting & giving out your SSN/DOB, etc
When we first moved here, I had no SSN nor had my GC arrive yet, but we were still able to rent an apartment, based on my UK ID and my spouse's USA ID.
Now, we are wanting to move and will be looking only at private homes this time as apartments aren't working for us.
I have concerns about giving out our SSNs, willy nilly, to potential private landlords, without knowing who they really are and besides, who's to say that they won't pass on or steal our identities whether we rent from them or not?
I recoil at the thought of writing SSNs down on paper application/data forms, the destiny of which and for whose eyes is unknown.
I also refuse to write down or provide my SSN on forms for the dentist and optician, since they don't really need it but asking for it has become endemic.
I think rental agencies have some kind of safeguards in place to stop the staff/owners from carrying out nefarious acts, stealing ID's, etc., but what can we do to protect ourselves when dealing with private individuals?
I am wondering of there is, perhaps, a website out there where rental applications can be made, fully secure, and in which the landlord and tenant can enter and use the data but which obscures certain bits of info from either party?
Now, we are wanting to move and will be looking only at private homes this time as apartments aren't working for us.
I have concerns about giving out our SSNs, willy nilly, to potential private landlords, without knowing who they really are and besides, who's to say that they won't pass on or steal our identities whether we rent from them or not?
I recoil at the thought of writing SSNs down on paper application/data forms, the destiny of which and for whose eyes is unknown.
I also refuse to write down or provide my SSN on forms for the dentist and optician, since they don't really need it but asking for it has become endemic.
I think rental agencies have some kind of safeguards in place to stop the staff/owners from carrying out nefarious acts, stealing ID's, etc., but what can we do to protect ourselves when dealing with private individuals?
I am wondering of there is, perhaps, a website out there where rental applications can be made, fully secure, and in which the landlord and tenant can enter and use the data but which obscures certain bits of info from either party?
#17
Re: Renting & giving out your SSN/DOB, etc
Have to agree with MD. Unfortunately, you may find yourself banging your head against a brick wall. A lot of landlords want to do a credit check to protect themselves from a bad tenant (I'm not saying I agree with it, but it is an indicator of your history), and if you refuse to hand over your SSN then you will just have to move on until you find a landlord who doesn't require it.
I'm reminded of a wonderful Dilbert cartoon, where Dilbert is having dinner in a restaurant with a colleague, discussing the use of credit cards for internet transactions and identity theft; at the same time they are discussing this, he's handing his credit card to the waiter for payment ...
#18
Re: Renting & giving out your SSN/DOB, etc
I agree ... in theory, you are only supposed to have to give out your SSN in a very limited set of circumstances, but - I discovered on further investigation - this applies to Govt. agencies only. I tried to refuse to give my SSN to an insurance company (providing house insurance); they said they needed it to verify my past claims history. I suggested that I was under no obligation to provide this, to which they replied, 'true, and we have no obligation to provide you with insurance'. I've pretty much given up trying to fight this.
I'm reminded of a wonderful Dilbert cartoon, where Dilbert is having dinner in a restaurant with a colleague, discussing the use of credit cards for internet transactions and identity theft; at the same time they are discussing this, he's handing his credit card to the waiter for payment ...
I'm reminded of a wonderful Dilbert cartoon, where Dilbert is having dinner in a restaurant with a colleague, discussing the use of credit cards for internet transactions and identity theft; at the same time they are discussing this, he's handing his credit card to the waiter for payment ...
#19
Lost in BE Cyberspace
Joined: Feb 2009
Location: North Charleston,SC. born in Stockport,UK.
Posts: 10,109
Re: Renting & giving out your SSN/DOB, etc
As far as I know, no they didn't, they accepted the printed out credit score/history, when we paid our deposit and first months rent. There was never any reason for them to ask for it again.
We filled in a military lease though, so I'm not sure if that was what made the difference? I know we have had credit checks run on us for other finance stuff, but not that one.
We filled in a military lease though, so I'm not sure if that was what made the difference? I know we have had credit checks run on us for other finance stuff, but not that one.
#20
Re: Renting & giving out your SSN/DOB, etc
As far as I know, no they didn't, they accepted the printed out credit score/history, when we paid our deposit and first months rent. There was never any reason for them to ask for it again.
We filled in a military lease though, so I'm not sure if that was what made the difference? I know we have had credit checks run on us for other finance stuff, but not that one.
We filled in a military lease though, so I'm not sure if that was what made the difference? I know we have had credit checks run on us for other finance stuff, but not that one.
#22
Re: Renting & giving out your SSN/DOB, etc
Okay. Well that makes sense. How else are they going to qualify you? Just don't fill out any applications unless you are pretty serious about making the deal. I wouldn't think that many professional identity thieves are going to be moonlighting as landlords. Property ownership, rentals etc. is hard work. Besides, the nicer properties will mostly use management companies whose credentials can be verified.
#23
Lost in BE Cyberspace
Joined: Feb 2009
Location: North Charleston,SC. born in Stockport,UK.
Posts: 10,109
Re: Renting & giving out your SSN/DOB, etc
The military could be different. I've known of management companies that focused on military rentals specifically because the military would guarantee them certain protections for their property. I don't know. However, if you filled out an application then they probably ran your credit.
#24
Re: Renting & giving out your SSN/DOB, etc
Okay. Well that makes sense. How else are they going to qualify you? Just don't fill out any applications unless you are pretty serious about making the deal. I wouldn't think that many professional identity thieves are going to be moonlighting as landlords. Property ownership, rentals etc. is hard work. Besides, the nicer properties will mostly use management companies whose credentials can be verified.
There is a very, very good chance that a private landlord is NOT going to bother with any of this, and thus your info is vulnerable at many levels - what if his laptop is stolen; USB drive lost; CD backup found in the garbage; paper copies retrieved from garbage; email account hacked; etc etc.
Now, on balance, I still don't think it's worth losing sleep over
#25
Re: Renting & giving out your SSN/DOB, etc
I believe his concern is that the private individual landlord may be more 'careless' with the acquired information. I do IT for a medical company, and we have to comply with a LOT of requirements - eg, transmission of anything containing SSN must be by secure email and/or over an SSL connection; data on our network must be encrypted, and restricted to 'need to know' employees; backup tapes must be encrypted; CDs must be destroyed; USB drives are not allowed unless they are encrypted; laptops have to have their hard drives encrypted, and there must be safeguards in place to prevent a hard drive from being read outside of the original laptop; paper documents must be locked away at night and when no longer needed, shredded; ... etc etc ad nauseum. I'm in the middle of a project right now where every laptop out in the field has to be returned to me so I can swap out the hard drive with an encrypted drive; it is easily doubling the cost and time of our operation to comply with all these requirements, but - if we don't, and if we are audited, we can lose customers, be fined, etc.
There is a very, very good chance that a private landlord is NOT going to bother with any of this, and thus your info is vulnerable at many levels - what if his laptop is stolen; USB drive lost; CD backup found in the garbage; paper copies retrieved from garbage; email account hacked; etc etc.
Now, on balance, I still don't think it's worth losing sleep over
There is a very, very good chance that a private landlord is NOT going to bother with any of this, and thus your info is vulnerable at many levels - what if his laptop is stolen; USB drive lost; CD backup found in the garbage; paper copies retrieved from garbage; email account hacked; etc etc.
Now, on balance, I still don't think it's worth losing sleep over
#26
Re: Renting & giving out your SSN/DOB, etc
But corporations are also full of pissed off employees who wouldn't think twice about making an extra buck by selling identities.
#28
Banned
Thread Starter
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 225
Re: Renting & giving out your SSN/DOB, etc
It can be the other way around you know,
The criminal network has a lot of strands, some of which are those people who look and act legitimate.
It is not hard for a crook, who appears on the face of it, to be a normal landlord or business person but also have criminal connections and from whom information is passed to those who actually commit the ciminmal acts, with the landlord/business person having nothing that leads back to them.
#29
Banned
Thread Starter
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 225
Re: Renting & giving out your SSN/DOB, etc
I think the point here is that private individuals are not bound by any requirements whatsoever, unless they are registered as a business and have a license.
Therefore, if anything does happen, be it through intent or carelessness, the effect is colossal for the victim but there are very little to no consequences for the private person, who may commit the crime or be careless with your information some time after you've given it, so you won't know who might be the source.
It is a shocking and debilitating crime that takes years to unravel, and during this time, the victim's life is not their own.
And what do you know of the chances of identity theft happening?
You need to wake up, look around and see what is going on, when you've sobered up that is.
Last edited by Sonic5; Feb 10th 2010 at 11:02 pm.
#30
Re: Renting & giving out your SSN/DOB, etc
I think you are quite naive to believe that.
It can be the other way around you know,
The criminal network has a lot of strands, some of which are those people who look and act legitimate.
It is not hard for a crook, who appears on the face of it, to be a normal landlord or business person but also have criminal connections and from whom information is passed to those who actually commit the ciminmal acts, with the landlord/business person having nothing that leads back to them.
It can be the other way around you know,
The criminal network has a lot of strands, some of which are those people who look and act legitimate.
It is not hard for a crook, who appears on the face of it, to be a normal landlord or business person but also have criminal connections and from whom information is passed to those who actually commit the ciminmal acts, with the landlord/business person having nothing that leads back to them.
I'm not saying it's impossible. I'm saying it's not highly likely and it certainly isn't the where the "hotbed" of identity theft rings are operating in this country.
Unless you're planning on living where you're living forever and paying cash for everything for the rest of your life you're going to have to come to terms with this phobia.