Security Number

About 2.4 million married couples got a warning letter from the IRS last year. It said that your spouse's Social Security number looked wrong on your 1999 returns. Well, maybe so. But, as I've recently learned, maybe not. Either way, you have a problem that has to be put right. Or this year's tax return could be in trouble. The IRS isn't questioning the first spouse named on these joint returns, usually the husband. What doesn't check out is the second spouse, usually the wife. The name doesn't match the Social Security number.

A computer thumb drive that was lost in the mail with the names, Social Security numbers and salaries of some Under Armour employees was being sent between two offices of PricewaterhouseCoopers, an auditing firm used by the Baltimore-based sports apparel company, an Under Armour official said Monday. "The thumb drive was not mailed from Under Armour to PwC. It was mailed between PwC offices," Under Armour spokeswoman Diane Pelkey said in an email. The breach of payroll data was first reported by Ohio's Dayton Daily News, which last week obtained an internal memo sent by Under Armour to its employees about the incident.

WASHINGTON -- The next time you're asked to give out your Social Security number, stop. You may be taking a terrible chance with your privacy -- and your wallet.By using your number, clever crooks can dip into your bank account, take out a credit card in your name, get hold of your government benefits or browse through your college records or financial investments.That's why Marc Greidinger refused to supply his Social Security number when he tried to register to vote in Stafford County, Va., in July 1991 -- even though it cost him his right to vote.

A Maryland corrections division that provides inmate labor has backed out of a data entry contract with the health department after state auditors found that prisoners had access to some patients' personal information, which was supposed to have been redacted from documents, but occasionally wasn't. The findings were included in a Legislative Services report made public Tuesday, three months after Maryland Correctional Enterprises, an industry arm of the Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services, ceased providing the services to the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.

EVERYBODY WANTS it. Your bank, health club, utility company. Sometimes even the guy at the video store. That nine-digit number which started as a way for the Social Security Administration to track worker's earnings and benefits now is routinely requested by all sorts of businesses and groups. "This is not supposed to be a national identification number ... but that's what it has become," said Cheryl Hystad, executive director of the Maryland Consumer Rights Coalition. A Social Security number legally must be divulged in limited situations, but for many years, consumers readily rattled off their numbers to anyone who asked.

When Ruth "Martie" Sewell walked into the Motor Vehicle Administration, she wanted only to renew her driver's license. But she wound up answering a question that she says violated her privacy.The clerks wanted Sewell's Social Security number before they would give her a new license, citing a state law that took effect since she had last renewed it.No Social Security number, no license.Citizens routinely give their number to businesses and government agencies. But Sewell vociferously refused, taking her complaint to an MVA supervisor before finally giving in.She does not like government or business compiling information about her under her Social Security number, as if it were some sort of national tracking system.

Refusing to give your Social Security number to anyone other than the federal government and your employer is one way to safeguard your personal privacy, the American Civil Liberties Union's executive director told a group of business leaders yesterday."

While it is under scrutiny for issuing fraudulent driver's licenses on one front, the Motor Vehicle Administration is relaxing one of its identification requirements on another front in response to a motorist's privacy concerns.The MVA will stop forcing Marylanders to divulge their Social Security numbers when obtaining or renewing driver's licenses, based on a Severna Park woman's complaint that the number should be private.The agency will continue to ask for the number, but it now will take "no" for an answer, MVA Administrator W. Marshall Rickert said.

The deadline for filing your personal income tax return is less than three months away. For the weeks leading up to April 15, Your Money will provide tax tips designed to help you file your 2003 return. Here is the first.Sometimes the simplest things can trip up your tax return, and none is as common as a muddled or missing Social Security number. It's one of several common clerical errors, including bad math and unsigned returns, that can delay your refund if you're owed one. Incorrect or missing Social Security numbers accounted for the most frequent math or data entry errors on 2002 returns.

You've written before about how important it is to protect your Social Security number to prevent identity theft. But it seems like every form I fill out these days asks for my number. When do I have to reveal my number, and when can I keep it to myself? If taxes or credit decisions are involved, you'll usually need to divulge your Social Security number. That means it can be required by employers, banks and brokerages, as well as certain government agencies, such as tax, welfare and motor vehicles departments.

Ever since I heard some enterprising Baltimoreans used pit bulls to try to shake down "The Wire" crew for money, I've wondered: Did the scheme actually work? In case you missed it, I reported earlier this week that an online travel show visiting parts of Baltimore featured in "The Wire" turned up a tale about the HBO series and a pit bull . The dog kept barking during filming at the old East Baltimore skate park that served as Marlo's hideout, so somebody with the show eventually gave the owner $20 to take the animal inside.

A state employee who posted the Social Security numbers of nearly 3,000 Maryland residents online for weeks has been fired, according to the Maryland Department of Human Resources. "As of today, the employee is no longer employed with the state," said Nancy Lineman, DHR spokeswoman. She declined to comment further about the employee, stating that this was a personnel matter. "We are still not sure why he used the data in an unauthorized way," Lineman said. Lineman said that the DHR is still investigating this incident and that no decision has been made about the filing of criminal charges.

With a name like mine, you might imagine it's rare to hear it pronounced or see it spelled correctly. For as long as I can remember, I've fielded phone calls for "Dan" and letters addressed to Mr. Dang. It happened so often that I gave up trying to fix the flubs since I grew weary of repeating myself. "No, no ... Dan Thanh is my first name, not Dan, and my last name is Dang. The first name rhymes with won ton and the last rhymes with bang. And, no, I am not a dude." Creative interpretations of my name were so commonplace that I thought nothing of it when the Social Security Administration began sending me benefits statements years ago that were addressed to "Thanh T. Dang."

Sometimes, there is just no explanation. For 43 trouble-free years, John Murray never left home without his American Express card. The retired data coordinator dutifully paid an annual fee every year and diligently paid his balance in full every month. When it came time to renew in April, Murray paid the $85 due and then called the toll-free number to activate the new card sent him in the mail. Only this time, Murray encountered something new. "I was told that I must give American Express my Social Security number before the card could be activated," said Murray, 81, who spent 30 years with the Social Security Administration.

Unsolicited e-mails and phone calls from scammers, claiming to represent your local election board or civic group, are trying to trick you into sharing your Social Security, credit card or bank account number to confirm your eligibility or registration to vote, the Federal Trade Commission warned. As a rule, the FTC says, organizations conducting legitimate voter registration drives either contact you in person or give you a voter registration form that you fill out yourself. They will never ask you to provide financial information, the FTC says.

Didn't get your tax rebate yet? It could be your name. That's what Kassandra Palazzo discovered. Palazzo for seven years has filed a joint tax return with her husband, and the New York couple never had trouble getting their refunds. But when their economic stimulus check didn't arrive, they contacted the IRS. As it turns out, Palazzo used her married name on the tax return, but the name she has on file with Social Security is her maiden name. That caused the holdup on the rebate. You can, of course, continue using your maiden name after marriage.

Sometimes, there is just no explanation. For 43 trouble-free years, John Murray never left home without his American Express card. The retired data coordinator dutifully paid an annual fee every year and diligently paid his balance in full every month. When it came time to renew in April, Murray paid the $85 due and then called the toll-free number to activate the new card sent him in the mail. Only this time, Murray encountered something new. "I was told that I must give American Express my Social Security number before the card could be activated," said Murray, 81, who spent 30 years with the Social Security Administration.

Every day, thousands of people type the words "credit repair" into an Internet search engine. Thousands more type in phrases like "bad credit" or "bad credit repair." Figuring out how to repair your credit is on the minds of homebuyers, sellers and owners, each of whom has realized that having stellar credit gives you financial options that simply aren't available to those with low credit scores. Unfortunately, some of the Web sites that come up in a search for "credit repair" can do more harm than good.

T HE Q: Reader Patricia Hall's effort to pay her daughter's T-Mobile bill was thwarted when sales reps at the Marley Station cellular store informed her they could only accept payment from a person who owned the account, or as an alternative, possessed the account holder's driver's license and Social Security number. "We were not asking for information on her account, only to make a payment on a particular phone number," Hall said. "I called T-Mobile the next day. The customer service representative said it was their policy, but that I could make a payment without any information on the account - but phone number - over the phone, and something about a FCC regulation."

Nearly 105 million down, another 19 million to go. Those are the latest figures from the Treasury Department on the number of economic stimulus tax rebates issued so far. More than $86 billion has been disbursed as of last week and another $24 billion will be issued. So have you gotten yours? And if not, why not? That last question is not easy to answer, although plenty of people are still asking. Maybe it's because you didn't file your tax return early enough or it was incomplete. Maybe your stimulus payment was applied to back taxes or child support.