Your info was probably already out there, somewhere. It’s most likely in a massive list with thousands of others. It’s still not great, but you’re not being targeted. This is why it’s important to freeze your credit with each bureau.
Just another reminder that using your SSN for ID verification purposes and acting like it’s a secret code only you could ever know is a dumb fucking system. Even the “verify with your last 4 digits” is a dumb fucking system. If you have a date of birth and a decent idea of birthplace, you can take a pretty good guess about the first 5 digits because they’re sequential from known blocks. It wasn’t until about 20 years ago that the government randomized the first 5 to stop that.
Your info was probably already out there, somewhere. It’s most likely in a massive list with thousands of others. It’s still not great, but you’re not being targeted. This is why it’s important to freeze your credit with each bureau.
Just another reminder that using your SSN for ID verification purposes and acting like it’s a secret code only you could ever know is a dumb fucking system. Even the “verify with your last 4 digits” is a dumb fucking system. If you have a date of birth and a decent idea of birthplace, you can take a pretty good guess about the first 5 digits because they’re sequential from known blocks. It wasn’t until about 20 years ago that the government randomized the first 5 to stop that.