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05-17-2004, 06:47 PM
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#1 of 13 
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Member
Join Date: Aug 2002
Local Time: 04:02 AM
Local Date: 09-07-2008
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I recently was informed I'd been awarded a $3,000 scholarship from the University of Kansas graduate school, where I'm going to be studying for an M.A. in East Asian Language and Culture this fall.  The graduate school's accountant, who is responsible for the disbursement of these scholarships, requested I send her a copy of my Social Security card. She said I could mail it, fax it, scan it and e-mail it, or hand-deliver it to her office.
I'd like to get it to her as soon as possible, but I'm paranoid about anyone intercepting the information. My SSN is not something I want floating around out there (see my thread about my girlfriend's ongoing battle with fraud if anyone needs more reason to be cautious). Anyway, I think e-mail is probably the least secure method, followed by the fax, then snail mail, and finally, of course, delivering it in person. But I would like to get it to her ASAP while saving myself a 1 and 1/2 hour round trip by car. Is faxing it secure enough, or should I just send it through the postal service? Opinions are appreciated. |
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05-17-2004, 06:57 PM
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#2 of 13
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Join Date: Jul 2000
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Fax is easy to intercept, but it's point to point. Chances of someone intercepting it are about as likely as someone guessing it.
SS #s mean nothing these days anyway, I bet your new school ID # will be the SS # and will be plastered on school ID card and everywhere else.
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05-18-2004, 12:17 PM
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#3 of 13
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Member
Location: Virginia
Join Date: Sep 2001
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Posts: 1,028
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A fax connection should theoretically be as secure as a (non-cordless) telephone conversation is. Pretty secure unless you are adept at wiretaps. Unless you are concerned with it sitting on the receiving fax for anyone to view. But even if you hand carry it there, it still might sit on a desk for anyone to view, so it really depends on the security precautions in place on the receiving end.
Mail can be lost, diverted or stolen.
E-mail can be intercepted, misdirected or forwarded.
Faxing can be misdirected or be unsecure on the machine (post reception)
Hand delivery can be mis-routed or left out in the open.
Sometimes you have to trust other people to keep your info safe.
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05-18-2004, 01:19 PM
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#4 of 13
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Member
Join Date: Nov 1999
Local Time: 03:02 AM
Local Date: 09-07-2008
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Fax should be fine, I've never heard of someone hacking and intercepting a fax line. Afterall, machine using a modem with an inbound/outbound and analogue line.
\"The man who views the world at 50 the same as he did at 20 has wasted 30 years of his life.\" Muhammed Ali, (Cassius Clay)
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05-18-2004, 01:34 PM
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#5 of 13
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Member
Join Date: Feb 2002
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Yeah, I don't believe there's any danger in the actual sending by fax. Your only concern would be what happens to the hard copy when it rolls out of the machine.
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05-18-2004, 02:23 PM
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#6 of 13
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Member
Location: Michigan
Join Date: Dec 1998
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Local Date: 09-07-2008
Posts: 9,593
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A more interesting question is why does the school need a copy of your actual Social Security card? Simply providing them with your SS# should be sufficient.
I have never had any institution *ever* ask for a copy of the actual card. This includes college scholarships, mortgage loans/refinances, car loans, opening new accounts for saving, checking, IRA, 401k, etc.
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05-18-2004, 03:30 PM
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#8 of 13
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Member
Join Date: Feb 2002
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Eric,
For what it's worth, this is the confidentiality notice that appears on my company's fax cover sheets:
Quote:
The information in this fax message is PRIVILEGED AND CONFIDENTIAL. It is intended only for the use of the recipient named above and handling by the employee or agent responsible to deliver it to the intended recipient. If you received this message/fax in error, you are hereby notified that any dissemination, distribution or copying of this communication is strictly prohibited. If you have received this message in error, please notify us by telephone immediately and return the original message to us at the above address via US Postal Service. We will be happy to reimburse you for any postage costs. THANK YOU.
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05-18-2004, 05:58 PM
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#9 of 13
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Member
Location: Michigan
Join Date: Dec 1998
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Local Date: 09-07-2008
Posts: 9,593
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Quote:
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Eric: do you have your SSN on your checks or driver's license?
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Do people actually have this situation? Why would anyone agree to this? I've never heard of such a thing. My college did use SS#'s for student ID#'s, but that was 24 years ago. I would hope that practice has changed.
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Ever wonder about the person who works customer service at your bank or credit card company who's probably making about $25,000-$30,000 per year and is very stressed and has access to your name and number every time you call for something?
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That's true. You will always be vulnerable to employees with access to secured, private information. You are also at risk every time you hand your credit card to a waiter/waitress in a restaurant who disappears for 10 minutes with the card. However, I would still never agree to placing my SS# on items like checks, driver's license, etc. Why open yourself up to anything more than necessary?
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05-18-2004, 06:19 PM
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#10 of 13
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Member
Join Date: Jul 2000
Local Time: 09:02 AM
Local Date: 09-07-2008
Posts: 420
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Quote:
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Why open yourself up to anything more than necessary?
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Because it's not optional, and yes they do still use SS #s as school IDs pretty much everywhere, if anything it's getting much worse with time and the reason behind it is relational databases. Anyone and everyone is identified by their SS # so it’s easy to do 'wide' searches. |
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