Watch This — The Risks of Social Security Cards Explained

Find out where Social Security numbers came from, how they came to be used as your ID — and why that's a really bad idea.

Dan Schointuch • June 12, 2017

A padlock on Social Security cards — Photo by larry1235 / Shutterstock.com

YouTube channel CGP Grey features this wonderful and brief history of Social Security cards. It is a great explainer of where the cards came from, and why we keep getting asked for our Social Security number as an ID.

It also shows — in no uncertain terms — just how easy it is for an identity thief to figure out your Social Security number with little more than the information you’ve likely already posted on social media. If you’ve got a few minutes, it’s worth watching.

Saturday is a big day if you have a Social Security account. Find out why by reading “Big Change Coming to Social Security Accounts This Weekend.”

If you’d like to discover how to get the most out of your Social Security retirement benefits, check out “14 Ways to Get Bigger Checks From Social Security.”

What do you think of Social Security cards? Let us know by commenting below or on our Facebook page.

Disclosure: The information you read here is always objective. However, we sometimes receive compensation when you click links within our stories.

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