You can usually spot a fake Social Security Number three ways: check the digits against patterns the Social Security Administration has never issued, inspect the physical card for the security features every genuine card carries, and run the number through an official verification service. The first two you can do yourself in seconds. The third gives you a definitive answer.
Number Patterns That Are Always Invalid
A valid SSN is nine digits in a three-two-four format (XXX-XX-XXXX). Certain combinations have never been assigned and never will be, so any number matching one of them is fake on its face.
If any of the three segments is all zeros, the number is invalid. That rules out anything starting with 000, anything with 00 in the middle two digits, and anything ending in 0000.1Social Security Administration. RM 10201.035 Invalid Social Security Numbers (SSNs)
Two more ranges are permanently off-limits. No SSN begins with 666, and no SSN uses an area number in the 900–999 range.2Social Security Administration. Social Security Number Randomization Frequently Asked Questions When the SSA moved to randomized assignment in 2011 and opened up many previously unused area numbers, these exclusions were kept in place.
The Woolworth Wallet Number
One specific number, 078-05-1120, was printed on a sample card inserted into wallets sold at Woolworth stores in 1938. The sample was red and stamped “SPECIMEN,” but thousands of buyers copied it and used it as their own. The SSA voided the number, and it remains invalid today, along with the related promotional number 219-09-9999.3Social Security Administration. Social Security History – The SSN Numbering Scheme Any document bearing either number is fraudulent.
Numbers Beginning With 9 Are Not SSNs
A nine-digit number that starts with 9 and follows the NNN-NN-NNNN pattern is almost certainly an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number, which the IRS issues to people who cannot get an SSN but need to file taxes.4Internal Revenue Service. Taxpayer Identification Numbers (TIN) An ITIN is legitimate for tax reporting, but it is not a Social Security Number and cannot be used for employment eligibility or Social Security benefits. If an ITIN shows up on a Form I-9 or W-2 in place of an SSN, treat that as a mismatch, not a valid number.
What a Genuine Card Looks Like
Cards issued after October 31, 1983, are printed on banknote paper and required by law to resist counterfeiting. The SSA lists the following security features on current cards:5Social Security Administration. RM 10201.060 Social Security Number (SSN) Card Security Features
- Intaglio printing on the front — raised, textured ink you can feel with a fingertip.
- Color-shifting ink that changes appearance at different angles.
- A tamper-proof background pattern that reveals alterations.
- Planchettes: small yellow, pink, and blue discs scattered randomly on both sides of the card.
- Intaglio microtext on the signature line that, magnified, spells “SOCIAL SECURITY.”
- A hidden anti-copy pattern that becomes visible when the card is photocopied.
- A latent image visible only at certain viewing angles.
- A red fluorescent alphanumeric code on the back of the card (added after February 1996).
The single most useful check is the raised feel of the intaglio printing and the presence of the planchettes. Consumer and commercial printers cannot reproduce either. A flat card with no discs in the paper fiber is a strong indication it was printed at home or in a shop.
One caveat: cards issued before 1983 predate the banknote paper and most of these features. Early cards used blue ink with a Social Security Board seal and a red number, and cards issued from 1946 to 1972 carry the legend “For Social Security Purposes — Not For Identification.”6Social Security Administration. Social Security Cards – Version History A plain, outdated-looking card is not automatically fake. For older cards, physical inspection cannot settle the question, and you should verify the number electronically.
Verifying a Number Through the SSA
Physical inspection only goes so far. To confirm that a name and number match SSA records, use the verification service that applies to your situation.
Employers: Social Security Number Verification Service (SSNVS)
SSNVS is free for registered employers. It confirms whether an employee’s name and SSN match SSA records for wage-reporting purposes. You can check up to 10 numbers at a time for immediate results or upload files of up to 250,000 records for overnight processing.7Social Security Administration. The Social Security Number Verification Service The service returns codes identifying which field did not match, which lets you separate a typo from a number that does not belong to the person who gave it to you. SSNVS is restricted to wage reporting; it is not a general-purpose lookup.
Businesses: Consent Based SSN Verification (CBSV)
For verifications outside employment — banking, mortgage lending, background screening, licensing — the SSA offers CBSV. It confirms whether a person’s name, date of birth, and SSN match SSA records, and it requires written consent from the number holder before any check.8Social Security Administration. Consent Based Social Security Number Verification (CBSV) Service Enrollment costs a non-refundable $5,000, plus $2.25 per transaction, so the service is set up for organizations doing volume rather than one-off checks.
Employers Checking Work Authorization: E-Verify
E-Verify, run by the Department of Homeland Security, compares Form I-9 information against SSA and DHS records. It is mandatory for federal contractors and in certain states, and voluntary for most other private employers. Beyond confirming employment eligibility, it flags SSN mismatches and helps identify counterfeit documents by cross-checking government databases.9E-Verify. Fraudulent Documents Awareness
Checking Whether Your Own Number Is Being Used
You do not need to be an employer to look for signs your own SSN has been picked up by someone else. Anyone 18 or older with an SSN can create a free my Social Security account at ssa.gov/myaccount using Login.gov or ID.me for identity verification.10Social Security Administration. Create an Account – my Social Security
Once the account is open, look at your Social Security Statement. It lists every year of earnings employers have reported under your number. Wages from an employer you never worked for, or earnings in a year you did not work, point to someone else using your SSN. The SSA recommends reviewing the statement each year and provides instructions for reporting errors directly from the account.11Social Security Administration. Get Your Social Security Statement
If a Number Is Fake or Stolen
If you find that someone is using your SSN, or you have accepted a document and later confirmed the number is invalid, act on several fronts at once.
Place a credit freeze with all three major bureaus — Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. Under federal law, freezing and unfreezing your credit is free, must take effect within one business day when requested online or by phone, and can be lifted within one hour on the same channels.12Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 15 USC 1681c-1 – Identity Theft Prevention; Fraud Alerts and Active Duty Alerts
Set a fraud alert. A single call to one of the three bureaus is enough; that bureau must notify the others. An initial alert lasts one year, and an extended alert, available once you have filed an identity theft report, lasts seven.13Federal Trade Commission. Credit Freezes and Fraud Alerts
File a report with the FTC at IdentityTheft.gov or 1-877-438-4338. The site generates a formal Identity Theft Report and a recovery plan you can use to dispute fraudulent accounts, correct credit reports, and push back against collectors chasing debts you did not incur.14Federal Trade Commission. Identity Theft Steps Create an account on the site to save your progress; if you skip that step, print and save the report at the time it is generated, because you will not be able to retrieve it later.
Report SSN-specific fraud to the SSA’s Office of the Inspector General at secure.ssa.gov/oig/fraud. The form takes details of the suspected misuse and allows confidential or anonymous reporting, though anonymous reports can limit what the OIG is able to investigate.15Office of the Inspector General. Report Fraud
Why Knowingly Using a Fake SSN Is a Serious Crime
Under 42 U.S.C. § 408, knowingly using an SSN obtained through false information, falsely representing a number as your own, or counterfeiting, buying, or selling a Social Security card is a federal felony punishable by up to five years in prison.16Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 42 USC 408 – Penalties The maximum fine for an individual convicted of a felony is $250,000.17Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 3571 – Sentence of Fine
The prison ceiling doubles to ten years when the person convicted receives fees or income for services tied to Social Security benefit decisions, including claims representatives, translators, SSA employees, physicians, and other health care providers.16Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 42 USC 408 – Penalties