Did you know that over 450 million social security numbers have been issued to U.S. citizens since they were first established in 1936? While you likely know that social security numbers (SSN) are used to identify people and to pay taxes, you may not know that licensed private investigators use SSN to help run thorough background checks on a person. Keep reading if you are interested in learning what a SSN trace is and how PIs use it to run background screenings.
What Is a SSN Trace?
A SSN trace is a database search that provides the year, state of issuance, and address and name history of a specific social security number. This search plays a key role in any thorough background check, as it helps reveal additional background information that can’t always be found through a search associated with a single name or address. An estimated 80 percent of companies include a SSN trace when conducting background checks, which makes sense when this search provides vital information.
While it can be easy to confuse a SSN trace as a way to identify a person, this is not true. A SSN trace can reveal aliases and addresses. However, it doesn’t verify that a specific SSN belongs to the person who is using it. Thus, it’s better to use a SSN trace as a part of a background screening, rather than to use it on its own.
How a SSN Trace Helps PIs Run Background Screenings
1. A SSN Trace Helps Determine Criminal Record Searches
When a PI runs a SSN trace, the information that is produced points to several other types of information about a person. While a single criminal record search only provides information for a single name, a SSN trace provides all the names and addresses associated with a specific SSN. This key information helps investigators conduct a more thorough check via criminal record databases. It’s very possible that a PI will end up finding new results as a result of the SSN trace search.
2. A SSN Trace Helps PIs Conduct More Thorough Background Checks
A SSN trace can help PIs find additional information regarding changes to names and addresses for a person. If a PI determines that more extensive screenings are necessary, they can work with the client (individual or company) to check other databases. Common examples of why this could be required include having a SSN issuance date that is before the person’s date of birth. This could indicate that a person using the SSN is not the owner of that SSN, which could be a red flag for an employer considering hiring a person.
3. A SSN Trace Can Uncover Previous Name Changes and Criminal History Searches
One of the major benefits of conducting a SSN trace is that it can identify previous names. Almost 50,000 people change their name every year, which can be done to correct birth certificate errors, take their spouse’s last name, conceal a past identity, or choose an English last name after moving to the states as a foreigner. By uncovering the previous names associated with a person, a PI can expand their criminal history searches and help clients determine whether a person is being honest about their employment and education background.
4. A SSN Trace Can Uncover Gaps in Background Checks
When a person fills out questions for a background check application, they may leave out all of the addresses they have lived in. Luckily, a SSN trace can provide a full list of all the addresses a person has had. A more complete address history helps a PI to determine whether they need to perform criminal records searches for the previous addresses found. Indeed, a SSN trace search helps uncover gaps found in a person’s address history, which can be useful for digging up hard to find information.
5. A SSN Trace Can Reveal Illegal Activities
Aside from uncovering past addresses and names, a SSN trace can also reveal illegal activities associated with one or more names. Unfortunately, people can have their SSN stolen and used for criminal activities. This type of fraud is quite common, which may explain why some cybersecurity specialists believe that the majority of SSNs have been compromised at some point.
By running a background search, PIs can find:
- Fake SSNs that don’t exist
- SSNs that belong to a deceased person
- SSNs that have been used by numerous people
After reading this article, we hope you learned a little bit more about background checks, specifically one type of search known as a SSN trace. At PATRIOT Backgrounds and Investigations, all of our Florida background checks include a SSN trace or address locator search. This search is a key step necessary to perform a complete background screening. Contact our Davie, FL private investigative firm today to learn more about how we can help you.
