[CamperBob2]

They need more than my name to run a credit check. They need something they're not going to get, which is my SSN.

[phonon]

No they don't. They use

https://www.transunion.com/product/truerisk

No SS needed.

[yules]

No need for an SSN to run a credit check. No one in their right mind would give an SSN.

[lucb1e]

Yeah I don't get this SSN thing:

- If it's so secret, why is it not called "password"? Why is it printed on your id card for anyone to see? Why do many organizations require it?

- If it's used in so many places, how is it expected to prove anything about your identity? It's identification (i.e. which row in the government's citizens database), not authentication.

Every employer wants my SSN. Every time I interact with the government, they want my SSN. It's in way too many places to be secret (like a PIN is), and besides, the government never told me it's secret. The government's info page about it and Wikipedia don't say anything about not giving it to anyone who asks for it.