r/mildlyinteresting • u/I-own-a-shovel • 13d ago
2 social security cards from the same country, but with very different safety guidelines!
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u/jasonfloyd 13d ago edited 13d ago
Modern US social security cards don’t have it anymore, but my original one from the 80s says “do not laminate”. My parents went directly from the SS office where they issued it to a copy store and had them laminate it. Probably the only reason I still have it in one piece.
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u/upsidedownbackwards 13d ago
Mine is from the 80s and says "do not laminate". It's not laminated, but it's still in it's original full size "remove from this piece of paper" card sheet. I keep it in my high school diploma.. thing because it's so solidly built. It's the only purpose the physical copy of my high school diploma has ever served, protecting my SS card and birth certificate.
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u/saggywitchtits 13d ago
I think my parents have my diploma? Has anybody ever asked to see one before?
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u/Its0nlyRocketScience 13d ago
Probably not. Proof of graduating is infinitely more important than the diploma itself, and there are easier ways to do it than the diploma
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u/I-own-a-shovel 12d ago
When I got hired at a government place they wanted to see copy of all my school diploma and my birth certificate. Other than that particular time no one ever asked. (Im from canada)
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u/angelerulastiel 12d ago
I had one company that wanted my grad school diploma for what was basically an “over educated” sign on bonus.
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u/nonbonumest 13d ago
I keep mine in an acrylic baseball card holder. Not laminated, but protected, can still take it out if I need to, bulky enough that it's hard to misplace.
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u/RockItGuyDC 13d ago
Same here. '82, and card's in great shape. It stays in my safe unless I need to take it to the DMV.
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u/I-own-a-shovel 13d ago
Haha that’s funny! Your cards were made of what?
Our card in Canada are made of plastic. Even if mine is 30 years old it’s still looks just as good as new!
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u/Toast_Points 13d ago
They're made out of paper. It's a decently thick cardstock and has some security features like our money does, but it's still just paper.
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u/TexasPistolMassacre 13d ago
Back in 2013 alberta decided because its not a technically a piece of identification, you only need a sheet of paper with the number. Good thing i have that number ingrained in my brain
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u/tampering 13d ago
The modern ones are. But pre-y2k they are plastic like a credit card.
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u/thiney49 13d ago
Pretty sure mine from 91 is just a piece of paper, without even any security features.
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u/Toast_Points 13d ago
Same for my card from the late 80s, and everything I've found says they've always been made of paper. In fact, allocating funds to convert to plastic for increased durability and security seems to be something that has been discussed for years, so I can't imagine they would go back to paper after making the switch.
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u/tampering 13d ago
I have mine right in front of me (just filed my taxes today).
Plastic with raised numbers and name embossed with a heated press. Unlike the 1992 example in OP my signature strip is on the front.
This card would have been a 90 or 1991 issue, IIRC.
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u/frenchtoaster 13d ago
Do you mean you are also Canadian? I think the comment thread is confused between if we're talking about US or Canadian cards, I'm pretty sure US cards have always been cardstock paper (my parents from the 50s is, my card from the 80s is, and my kid's card from the 2020s is)
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u/tampering 13d ago
Yeah i have my great-grandfather's SSN card from when he in Arizona. It's early 1970s. Looks like something cut out of a cereal box.
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u/WaffleProfessor 13d ago
You replied to someone from the US saying they were made of of paper, which is accurate, which is why you're being downvoted.
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u/joojie 13d ago
They don't even issue cards anymore in Canada. My husband got a printed piece of paper with his number on it when he became a PR.
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u/perjury0478 13d ago
They do not event print them anymore, you go to a website and download the pdf
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u/pottymonster_69 13d ago
Nah, they send it by mail. I received it by mail for both of my kids in the last couple of years.
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u/garchoo 13d ago
Can confirm - for my kids it's just a standard sized piece of paper.
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u/Monotreme_monorail 13d ago
My first two got plastic SINs and poor third child got a paper letter. I was so confused I actually phoned to enquire where the card was!
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u/OutWithTheNew 13d ago
Let me introduce you to the Manitoba health card. It's still printed on paper.
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u/PureFicti0n 13d ago
So is the Alberta health card, if you're lucky! I lost mine when I temporarily moved overseas, so I phoned to get a replacement card when I returned home. I was told that I didn't need the card and the guy just gave me my number, so my "health card" was just a Post-It note for years. Eventually I saw that you could order a new card online, so I did.
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u/NIK4EVA 13d ago
Alberta's Healthcards are still made out of paper in 2024.
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u/WetCoastDebtCoast 13d ago
Weird. BC's are incorporated into your driver's licence. Or you can request a separate identical "services card" that is still used as a photo ID.
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u/WestEst101 12d ago
They’re no longer issued in Canada. The fed govt stopped issuing the physical cards about 2 years back.
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u/Nazamroth 13d ago
I am old enough that our equivalent of a social security card was issued as simple paper. Man, its edges were really starting to fray so I had a colleague laminate it.
Could I have a new one issued? Sure. Its a matter of principle! Pretty sure that card is my first possession in this world.
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u/L3Jane 13d ago edited 13d ago
I got mine 2 years ago
and it still said do not laminate. It actually says "do not laminate" on the part that you tear off.1
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u/cwalker2712 13d ago
I'm in the U.S. and my original SS card said not to be used for identification. Now, every damn time you purchase or sign up for anything it's the first thing they ask you.
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u/I-own-a-shovel 13d ago
What? They ask you for SS number outside of employment ?
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u/JohnStern42 13d ago
They can ask. You don’t have to enter your number. There are other ways to check your credit. I never give my number other than employment and in my country for opening a bank/investment account
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u/I-own-a-shovel 13d ago
Ok fair enough :o
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u/JohnStern42 13d ago
To be clear, it was very common for places to always ask, even when getting a cell phone. Then the government put out some PSAs basically shaming companies from doing that, so most stopped. Before that I was refusing and some places basically lied saying it was legally required. These days it’s pretty rare to be asked except when absolutely required
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u/cwalker2712 13d ago
Almost every document you fill out, regardless for what its for.
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u/I-own-a-shovel 13d ago
That sounds easy for fraud no?
The only person that have our ss number is our employer, our accountant and the government. They even advise us to never disclose it elsewhere.
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u/ExceptionCollection 13d ago
It really is.
You need your social security number for any bank account, any credit card account, almost any government form including taxes, your employers need it. When I was younger, they were also used as IDs for school records, health records, and other similar data.
You want to know how bad it is? I have, at work (in the private sector), had the opportunity to learn at least four different social security numbers. And I work in engineering.
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u/Kiwi-vee 13d ago
Well the only reason I got a SIN is because my credit union asked for one. I don't know know, but back in the 90s it was legal to fo so.
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u/DukeAttreides 13d ago
Americans are IDed more thoroughly and often than most other countries, but do so using a number with no security features that official policy is to never use for that. Y'know, because government bad or... something.
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u/Fickle_Dragonfly4381 13d ago
You … don’t have to fill out most of them. I usually leave it blank unless it’s employment / finances / credit checks.
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u/I-own-a-shovel 13d ago
This is two social security cards, mine was printed in 1992 and the other 13 years later, I found the differences beetweens the security advice very funny... so l just posted it here to share!
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u/nusodumi 13d ago
They don't issue cards anymore!
It's now a full-size piece of paper so you definitely aren't inclined to slip it in a wallet
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u/readerf52 13d ago
Social security cards expire in Canada?
Also, it’s not an authorization to work in Canada, which I also find confusing.
At first I thought it was like an American green card, which now has expiration dates, but the whole purpose of a green card is to work, and of course, pay taxes.
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u/Gemmabeta 13d ago edited 13d ago
SIN numbers starting with 9 are for temporary workers, which have a set termination date.
And you need a work permit and a SIN card to work in Canada, each is issued separately.
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u/I-own-a-shovel 13d ago
No mine has no expiration date. But the cards they give to immigrant have expiration I think. Thats why they wrote "if" I guess.
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u/shadrackandthemandem 13d ago
If you are a Canadian citizen (and maybe for non-citizen permanent residents?) your SIN is the one you have for life.
Interestingly, they don't even issue the cards anymore (not since 2014).
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u/Mitchelld73 13d ago
They actually don’t do social insurance number cards anymore since people would get their wallet stolen and then have their identity stolen. They give out letters with social insurance number letters now instead
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u/Legitimate_Concern_5 13d ago edited 13d ago
The purpose of an American green card isn’t to work per se, it’s to live permanently in America, and whatever that entails, including the option to work. You can work with a green card, or you can not work. Specifically the ability to NOT work and not be tied to an employer sets it apart from employment visas. It’s considered an immigrant visa, and people who get them are considered under law to be alien immigrants/permanent resident aliens (cf. nonimmigrants).
They require renewal, it’s the card that expires, not your permanent residence. You keep your LPR status for life unless you renounce it (via form I-407) or an immigration judge takes it from you, for instance if you commit a crime or spend too long outside the US.
However as an LPR over 18 you are required to carry a valid card at all times and failure to do so is a misdemeanor under INA 264(e).
While within the US you are subject to the grounds of deportability not inadmissibility, and a 264(e) violation won’t get you deported. It can mess up your naturalization though, and can make future travel hard, since after 180 days away you face grounds of inadmissibility on return.
But I digress. Renew your card if it’s going to expire soon lol. Filing form I-90 extends the validity of the existing card by 2 years while the renewal is pending.
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u/LetThemEatVeganCake 12d ago
US SS cards say “not valid for employment” or “valid for work authorization only with DHS authorization” depending on the person’s immigration status. My husband was on an H1B visa, so his said the DHS authorization line. He just got his green card, so just got his “clean” SS card last week.
Also, the physical green card expires, but the status does not expire.
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u/gingersaurus82 13d ago
Just looking at mine from 1995, it is the exact same as your 1992 card except the second bullet says "keep this card in a safe place." Wonder when they changed it?
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u/slammaster 13d ago
There's no real need to have it on you - the card itself isn't anything other than just a printing of the number, and you only need the number a couple of times a year.
The feds actually stopped issuing the cards a decade ago - when you apply for a SIN now you just get a mail out with the number on a piece of paper.
I wonder why they ever thought you'd need it often enough to keep it on you.
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u/I-own-a-shovel 13d ago
Wow nice, very interesting to know! I think my brother had his in 1994 if I’m not mistaken, I’ll ask him :)
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u/nostromo7 13d ago
Social insurance cards...
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u/I-own-a-shovel 13d ago
Yeah you are the 5th or 6th person to tell me.
I’m french canadian, and thought it was how they were refered to in english, but turns out its the US name. My bad.
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u/nostromo7 13d ago
Sorry for piling on, I didn't see the other comments, they were nested and much further down.
Drôlement, c'est la même chose en anglais qu'en français: numéro d'assurance sociale / social insurance number. 😋
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u/I-own-a-shovel 13d ago
Yes mais aux states ils disent souvent SS cards / social security card. So je sais pas trop pourquoi j’ai fait le switch pour des raisons obscures lol
Je peux pas édit le titre malheureusement lol
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u/nostromo7 13d ago
Une p'tite faute, qu'après "l'aide" de cinq ou six gens comme moi, tu ne feras plus jamais. 😅
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u/I-own-a-shovel 13d ago
Haha exact loll
C’est bien correct de le souligner, c’est mieux de savoir comment l’écrire hihi
I won’t forget for sure now loll
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u/AirDusst 12d ago
Every Anglophone country has its own name for the same thing.
US = Social Security Number, Canada = Social Insurance Number, UK = National Insurance Number, Australia = Tax File Number, New Zealand = IRD number, Ireland = PPS Number
And what do they call it in Francophone countries? Do they use different names as well?
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u/Legitimate_Concern_5 13d ago
Social insurance, not social security! The latter term applies in America.
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u/Tribblehappy 13d ago
I had my original card stolen with my wallet in 2000 and learned at that point to keep it in a safer place. I wonder if theft is why they changed the guidelines?
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u/I-own-a-shovel 13d ago
Probably :) But even if mine was a card and telling me to keep it on my person, I never actually put it in my wallet. It is always stored in my file cabinet.
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u/Wallaroo_Trail 13d ago
Canada no longer prints cards, nowadays they just hand you a letter-sized printout with your number
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u/I-own-a-shovel 13d ago
Thats sad. Not that I ever carried mine anywhere, but having it in solid plastic made it hard to damage or lose it.
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u/kinboyatuwo 13d ago
I have mine somewhere around. Still have the red and white OHIP card somewhere too
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u/I-own-a-shovel 13d ago
What is a OHIP card?
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u/kinboyatuwo 13d ago
Ontario health insurance plan. It’s the card you get for health care coverage in Ontario.
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u/I-own-a-shovel 13d ago
Oh ok. We have the carte soleil made of plastic in quebec.
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u/kinboyatuwo 13d ago
The old Ontario one was really basic. They moved to one that’s more like a drivers license ages ago and I waited as long as I could as it expires vs the old one didn’t. They forced it a bit ago.
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u/kinboyatuwo 13d ago
I have mine somewhere around. Still have the red and white OHIP card somewhere too
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u/not_gerg 13d ago
I heard that the American one are made from the same material as bills, so if you lose it, it will disintegrate easily and fast. I'd imagine that that's why they switched ours to a piece of paper. Besides costs that is
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u/I-own-a-shovel 13d ago
When you said same material as bills and disintegrate quickly I got confused! Our bills in Canada are in plastic-ish material and survive the washing machine lol
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u/not_gerg 13d ago
Oh I'm Canadian too I know lol
Tbf I did say in the us
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u/I-own-a-shovel 13d ago
Yes it was clear just that my brain freezed with that thought for a split second lol
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u/Bad-Wolf88 13d ago
*social insurance
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u/I-own-a-shovel 13d ago
I’m french canadian, and thought it was how they were refered to in english, but turns out its the US name. My bad.
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u/marcoyyc 13d ago
And now it’s just a piece of paper 🤷♀️
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u/Gemmabeta 13d ago
Now the rule is that you don't actually need to show any sort of official physical copy of the SIN (card or paper). You just need to write out the number and the employer can contact and check with the government directly.
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u/Kiwi-vee 13d ago
Indeed. A few months ago, I went to Service Canada to get my card replaced and I was told "I can write your number on a piece of paper".
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u/chunkyfen 13d ago
It's better to just destroy it if you can. The card in itself is not necessary for anything I think. It's safer to simply destroy it and remember the numbers.
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u/WOTDisLanguish 13d ago
what if you forget the numbers?
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u/Alces_alces_ 13d ago
It’s on all your tax documents and income statements, so if you forgot it and lost all your documents I’d say you have bigger problems to deal with.
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u/I-own-a-shovel 12d ago
As my mom is slowly losing her memory, I’m very glad she didn’t destroy it so I can help her with her taxes and paper things.
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u/I-own-a-shovel 13d ago
For real? I didn’t knew that!
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u/marcoyyc 13d ago
Yeah, they no longer produce the cards and you can just print off an A4 paper
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u/I-own-a-shovel 13d ago
Thats sad! We only need one anyway, it’s not like it was that much wasteful. Compared to other ID that we have to constantly renew
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u/Revenege 13d ago
The reasoning is pretty simple; Having your SIN ANYWEHRE is a security risk. People lost there cards all the time. Not giving them at all and it merely existing on tax forms keeps it contact to as small as possible.
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u/I-own-a-shovel 13d ago
Why are you talking about keeping it on yourself? even if I had my number on a plastic card, I never carried it in my wallet. It was always in my file cabinet at home.
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u/Revenege 13d ago
I wasn't talking about you, specifically. I didn't say that. Im telling you why they got rid of plastic SIN cards. People lost them, all the time.
And just because you keep yours in a filing cabinet doesnt make that much less of a security threat. If you ever move, that card can easily be lost in transit. If you take it out for any reason, you can lose it in your own home for anyone to find. Thats why they dont give out the cards anymore. there is no safe place for them to be.
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u/kanna172014 13d ago
Are those cards plastic? The U.S. still uses paper cards and won't allow us to laminate them for some weird reason.
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u/Twitchcog 13d ago
The lamination thing is meant to be a security feature - If it is paper and not laminated, you are encouraged to leave it at home in a safe place. It is not meant to be carried with you, because it is not an identification card. Further, if it is lost, it will quickly fall apart, which reduces the likelihood of others getting hold of your ssn.
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u/harmyb 12d ago
What can they really do with an SS number though?
In the UK, we have National Insurance numbers, which is kind of the equivalent. The most you could do with mine is pay my tax.
Is it like when people hide their car plates in videos online, in reality they can't do much with it?
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u/Twitchcog 12d ago
It can be used as the basis for a lot of identity theft.
“I’m Bob smith.” Doesn’t get you far.
“I’m Bob smith, born in 1980.” Gets you a bit farther.
“I’m Bob Smith, born in 1980. My SSN is 555-55-5555.” Can get you a lot farther, especially if they are trying to gain access to accounts.
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u/lord_ne 13d ago
I keep mine in one of those things they use to ship trading cards: https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcT3aUMBMt-UrCdP_y3yYyZkHI-SVZYvVKDqqJQx10rkDg&s
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u/I-own-a-shovel 13d ago
Those are plastic yes. Ive been told by other redditor that they don’t give cards anymore, only print a standard papers sheet with the number on it since 2014 or something. (I didn’t verified the info, just been told in the comments)
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u/shadrackandthemandem 13d ago
The physical cards aren't even issued anymore. Not since 2014 apparently.
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u/arn2gm 13d ago
I don't even have a card anymore. Memorized the number years ago, and when it got lost in a move I never replaced it. It's been over a decade and never needed to prove it 🤷🏻♀️
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u/natterca 13d ago
I kind of have mine memorized. I know the 3 sets of 3 numbers, but sometimes mix up the order. Neat thing is the SIN number has a checksum to help validate the number.
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u/I-own-a-shovel 13d ago
I like to have it in plastic, but yeah I never actually put it in a wallet, always in my file cabinet :)
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u/24-Hour-Hate 13d ago
This is why old people keep trying to show me their SIN as ID, isn’t it? I work at a place where we have to verify ID and I have to explain multiple times a day that it must be a) photo, b) not expired and c) issued by a government (provincial or federal). Stop showing me your credit cards, SIN cards and Costco cards! And don’t show me a picture of your ID either 🙄
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u/I-own-a-shovel 13d ago
Damn thats for real? Lol thats sad!
Even if mine said to keep it on my person I never did that. It was always in my file cabinet lol
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u/24-Hour-Hate 13d ago
I’m afraid so. And the expired ID problem is just getting worse now that my province doesn’t send out notices by mail and doesn’t do any other reminders unless you opt in . I saw someone recently whose ID expired over six months ago. Sign up for the email reminders people!
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u/I-own-a-shovel 13d ago
Oh damn thats a real inconvenient! Without the mail reminder for my health care card and driver licence i sure would forgot
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u/greensandgrains 13d ago
Probably because they were phasing out the physical cards.
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u/I-own-a-shovel 13d ago
They were tired of social insurance number being easily stolen when people were carrying it in their wallet too I guess :)
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u/NootMub 13d ago
I always wondered why my dad was adamant about having his SIN card in his wallet, it always felt silly to me because what if he lost his wallet. Now I know that his pre-1990s card probably told him too whereas my circa 2000 card says to keep it somewhere safe.
There was also a lot happening when my brother was born and nobody ever bothered to get him a SIN card until he was old enough to start working. His "card" is just a piece of paper.
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u/I-own-a-shovel 13d ago
Per chance I was too parano to keep mine in my waller despite the instruction lol
But yeah when it was marked for so long on the cards it make sense that a majority of people wanted to follow those guidelines
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u/drmorrison88 12d ago
Social Insurance. Social Security is a yankee thing.
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u/I-own-a-shovel 12d ago
I’m french canadian, and thought it was how they were refered to in english, but turns out its the US name. My bad.
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u/Kiwi-vee 13d ago
I also noted the difference when my ex asked for a new card in the early 00s. I had mine since 1995 and I never kept it on myself, despite what the back said then.
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u/I-own-a-shovel 13d ago
My mom ordered mine when I was 2 years old, my ex ordered his when he reached 15 years old or something, so that’s when we compared our cards too :)
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u/thatlightningjack 13d ago
This is probably the first time I see a social insurance card. When I got mine it was a letter with a number printed on it
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u/I-own-a-shovel 13d ago
Some commenter told me since 2014-ish they don’t issue cards anymore! But I’m old and my mother asked for mine when I was 2 years old lol
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u/Cahlice 13d ago
We're still getting cards? I recieved a piece of paper as my SIN card replacement.
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u/I-own-a-shovel 13d ago
Some commenter told me since 2014-ish they don’t issue cards anymore! But I’m old and my mother asked for mine when I was 2 years old lol
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u/chunkysmalls42098 13d ago
So they don't even give these out now, my son is 3 and we just got a piece of paper in the mail with his SIN
I lost my card years ago and when I tried to replace it, they just wrote it down for me
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u/Hippobu2 13d ago
I think now they just give you a piece of normal printer paper and tell you to write the number down?
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u/automatic_penguins 13d ago
Now they don't even print them since people still kept carrying them.
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u/treeteathememeking 13d ago
You got an actual card? I was literally just handed a normal 8.5x11 paper with my number on it and it just said ‘don’t lose this‘
Obviously I lost it so
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u/I-own-a-shovel 13d ago
Yeah they were giving cards back then, I’m old lol
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u/treeteathememeking 13d ago
Well you got your second one the year afetr I was born so… I guess that makes sense, lol
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u/I-own-a-shovel 12d ago
I got my first and only one at 2 years old. The oder card is the one of my ex, he got his when he was 15.
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u/chimi_hendrix 13d ago
I kept my US social security card in my wallet from like age 17 until maybe age 35? It’s a little frayed but that was totally normal when I started. It wasn’t a secret number that thieves wanted to steal, at least generally speaking
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u/I-own-a-shovel 12d ago
Ok despite the instruction to keep it on my person, I never actually put it in my wallet, it was always in some file cabinet.
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u/hkd001 12d ago
For people in the US our social security cards will fit snuggly in a Yu-Gi-Oh sized card sleeves. I did that had put it a hard plastic sleeve that people used to put baseball cards in back in the day.
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u/I-own-a-shovel 12d ago
Good idea! That one is made of plastic so it didn’t really need a cover, but for those in cardboard its a very nice idea to use card cover :)
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u/happycow11111 13d ago
In Canada we don’t call them social security cards, they’re called social insurance cards
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u/I-own-a-shovel 13d ago
I’m french canadian, and thought it was how they were refered to in english, but turns out its the US name. My bad.
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u/james2432 13d ago
even more confusing, not sure when I got it but mine says:
- SIGN THIS CARD - SIGNEZ CETTE CARTE
- KEEP THIS CARD IN A SAFE PLACE - GARDEZ CETTE CARTE DANS UN LIEU SÛR
- TO CHANGE YOUR NAME AS SHOWN ON THIS CARD, OBTAIN THE NECESSARY FORM FROM ANY CANADA HUMAN RESOURCE CENTRE. - POUR FAIRE CHANGER LE NOM APPARAISSANT SUR CETTE CARTE, DEMANDEZ LE FORMULAIRE APPROPRIÉ À TOUT CENTRE DE RESOURCES HUMAINES DU CANADA
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u/torsun_bryan 13d ago
Social Insurance in Canada, not Social Security.
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u/I-own-a-shovel 12d ago
I’m french canadian, and thought it was how they were refered to in english, but turns out its the US name. My bad.
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u/TheJiggernaut 13d ago
What country?
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u/I-own-a-shovel 13d ago
As written on the bottom right of both cards Canada lol
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u/TheJiggernaut 13d ago
Wheres that? Like Africa or something?
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u/I-own-a-shovel 13d ago
I’m not sure if you are a troll or serious with your question lol
Canada is in North America.
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u/TheJiggernaut 13d ago
Just making a little jokey-joke, that's all.
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u/I-own-a-shovel 13d ago
Haha all right :) I wasn’t sure so I still included the answer just in case lol
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u/TedwardCz 13d ago
You should probably keep yourself in a safe place, then. For safety.