How to Lock Your Social Security Number: E-Verify, SSA, and Credit

To lock your Social Security number, use four free federal protections that each shut a different door: the myE-Verify Self Lock stops someone from using your SSN to get hired, an eServices block at the Social Security Administration cuts off online access to your benefits records, a credit freeze at Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion prevents new accounts from being opened in your name, and an IRS Identity Protection PIN keeps a thief from filing a tax return under your number. None of them costs anything. Each one covers a threat the others don’t, so if your SSN has been exposed, plan to set up all four.

Lock Employment Verification With myE-Verify Self Lock

The Self Lock is a free feature run by the Department of Homeland Security that prevents your Social Security number from passing an employment verification check through E-Verify.¹ If someone steals your SSN and tries to get hired with it, the employer’s E-Verify query comes back as a Tentative Nonconfirmation, the system’s flag for a mismatch.² That makes it especially useful if you’ve been told your SSN was exposed in a breach but you aren’t currently job-hunting.

Note the limit. The Self Lock only affects E-Verify. It doesn’t freeze your credit, block access to your Social Security benefits, or stop tax fraud.

You need a free myE-Verify account before you can turn on the Self Lock.² Registration asks for your full SSN, date of birth, current address, and previous addresses, and then puts you through a set of Knowledge-Based Authentication questions pulled from credit bureau records, such as past loan amounts or former lenders. If you can’t pass the quiz, call E-Verify at (855) 804-0296 for help.³

Once your account exists, log in, open the Self Lock tab, and click the lock button. The dashboard will show a locked status confirming that E-Verify will now reject queries against your SSN. Removing the lock releases your SSN immediately, with no waiting period.⁴

The Self Lock lasts one year. Thirty days before it expires, an extension option appears on your dashboard, and there’s no cap on how many times you can extend.¹ If you let it lapse, your SSN goes back to being verifiable through E-Verify, so set a calendar reminder if you want continuous coverage. If you accept a new job, unlock your SSN before your employer runs the E-Verify check, then re-lock as soon as the check clears.²

Block Online Access to Your SSA Records

The Social Security Administration offers a separate protection, the eServices block, that shuts down online and automated telephone access to your Social Security records. Once it’s on, nobody, including you, can view or change your personal information, benefit payments, or tax details through SSA’s online portal.⁵ It’s designed for people who have already experienced identity theft or who believe their SSN has been compromised.

If your main worry is someone redirecting your benefit payments, SSA also offers a narrower Direct Deposit Fraud Prevention block that stops changes to direct deposit or address information unless they go through SSA staff.⁵

You can add either block through your my Social Security account at ssa.gov. Removing a block, though, requires contacting SSA directly. Call 1-800-772-1213 or visit your local Social Security office with a government-issued photo ID such as a driver’s license or passport.⁶ The in-person removal path is intentional: it stops a thief who has your login from quietly switching the block off.

The eServices block does not stop your monthly benefit payments. Direct deposits continue as scheduled. It only restricts viewing or modifying records through digital channels, so any legitimate change you need to make while the block is active has to happen by phone or in person.

Freeze Your Credit at All Three Bureaus

A credit freeze, sometimes called a security freeze, blocks lenders from pulling your credit report to approve new accounts. Because most lenders won’t extend credit without checking your report, a freeze effectively prevents someone from opening credit cards, loans, or utility accounts in your name. Federal law requires the three nationwide bureaus, Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion, to place a freeze free of charge.⁷

Contact each bureau separately. Freezing at one does not affect the other two. Online and phone requests must be processed within one business day; mailed requests get a three-business-day window.⁷ A freeze stays in place indefinitely until you lift it.⁸ When you need to apply for a card or a mortgage, temporarily lift the freeze at the relevant bureau, let the lender pull your report, then re-freeze.

A credit freeze protects a different flank than the Self Lock. Self Lock stops employment verification fraud; the freeze stops financial fraud. If your SSN has been exposed, you probably want both.

Get an IRS Identity Protection PIN

An Identity Protection PIN is a six-digit number the IRS assigns to your account that must appear on any federal tax return filed under your SSN. Without the correct PIN, the IRS rejects the return, so even a thief who has your SSN can’t file a fraudulent return to claim your refund. Anyone with an SSN or Individual Taxpayer Identification Number can request one.⁹

The IRS generates a new IP PIN for your account every year, so you need to retrieve the current one before filing. If you enrolled online, your IP PIN becomes available in your IRS online account starting in mid-January.¹⁰ Miss that step and your own legitimate return will be rejected.

Three ways to enroll:

Online through your IRS account, which is the fastest route. You’ll verify your identity through the IRS’s digital authentication process. Minors under 18 can’t use this method.⁹
By mail with Form 15227, available if the adjusted gross income on your last filed return was below $84,000 for individuals or $168,000 for married filing jointly. The IRS calls to verify your identity by phone, then mails the PIN within four to six weeks.⁹
In person at a Taxpayer Assistance Center. Bring a government-issued photo ID and one additional form of identification; the PIN arrives by mail in about three weeks. Parents requesting a PIN for a dependent need to bring two forms of ID for the child as well.⁹

Parents and legal guardians can request IP PINs for their dependents. That’s worth doing if your child’s SSN was part of a breach, since tax fraud involving children often goes undetected for years because nobody files under the child’s number until they get their first job.

What to Do if Your SSN Has Already Been Misused

If your number has been used fraudulently, locking things down is only half the job. Where you report depends on the type of misuse:

For credit or financial fraud, file a report at IdentityTheft.gov, the FTC’s recovery portal. The site generates a personalized recovery plan and an official Identity Theft Report you can use when disputing fraudulent accounts.¹¹
For fraud against Social Security programs, report it to SSA’s Office of the Inspector General online at oig.ssa.gov or call the OIG fraud hotline at 1-800-269-0271 (Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. ET).¹¹
For tax-related identity theft, contact the IRS using their Taxpayer Guide to Identity Theft and request an IP PIN if you don’t already have one.¹¹
If your SSN has been exposed but not yet misused, visit IdentityTheft.gov/Info-Lost-or-Stolen for preventive steps, then set up the four locks above.¹¹

1
E-Verify. What is the Self Lock Feature
2
E-Verify. Self Lock
3
E-Verify. Why Did I Not Pass the Identity Assurance Quiz
4
Social Security Administration. RM 10250.200 Self Lock for the E-Verify and Self Check Programs
5
Social Security Administration. What You Can Do To Protect Your Personal Information
6
Social Security Administration. Contact Social Security By Phone
7
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 15 USC 1681c-1 – Identity Theft Prevention; Fraud Alerts and Active Duty Alerts
8
Federal Trade Commission. Credit Freezes and Fraud Alerts
9
Internal Revenue Service. Get an Identity Protection PIN
10
Internal Revenue Service. Frequently Asked Questions About the Identity Protection Personal Identification Number (IP PIN)
11
Social Security Administration. Fraud Prevention and Reporting