Nearly 10% of Foreigners Illegally Getting
Social Security Cards

May 20, 2002

WASHINGTON — More than 100,000 of the 1.2 million original Social Security numbers handed out to foreigners in 2000 were obtained through fake documents, the Social Security Administration said.

That's one in 12 noncitizens, or roughly 8 percent, who may have used illegally obtained documents or invalid immigration papers, said James Huse Jr., the inspector general of the Social Security Administration. Procuring the fake papers, which can be used to get loans, establish illegal bank accounts and commit other crimes, is tantamount to identity theft, according to the report.

With all those wrongly established identifiers, some illegals can then land jobs that require security clearance at airports and other sensitive locations, Huse's report, issued May 9, says.

Huse said there are many ways to obtain fake Social Security numbers, including using false documents in applications to the SSA, stealing another person's number, using the number of someone who has died, or simply making up a number.

"As we have learned through the terrorist investigation, even a legally obtained SSN can be used to facilitate an unlawful act," he said in the report.

Some of the Sept. 11 hijackers were using illegal Social Security numbers to get credit cards and open bank accounts.

SSA wants to fix the problem, but it will take six months or more to coordinate efforts with the Immigration and Naturalization Service, which is going through its own overhaul.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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