Don't gave out your social security number, even to your in laws

This is not about being paranoid. Nightmares, they will invade your sleep even 20 years later. The nightmares will remind you that life is precious and you don't want to give out your social security number to the following people:

• Your in-laws
• when applying for a job. If you get hired, then yes in order to get paid you will need to provide it to the human resources department. Do not reveal your ssn to potential employers
• Your employees
• Or anyone you can't trust

You really need to guard your social security number, although you may have to give it to: credit card company when applying for a credit card, health or car insurance company when applying for car insurance, a landlord if you are looking to rent an apartment or give it to your employer once you are hired and other professional groups. Yes, if you have investments for tax purposes therefore banks and financial brokerages you will need to give out your ssn number

When ever someone ask you for your ssn, always ask what is the purpose of you needing my number? As well, how secure will your social security number be? If they say, that they do not have proper internet security protection in their data base or they do not have a security system to protect their offices, say you feel uncomfortable providing your social security number and instead be proactive and sign up for the: Equifax Credit Watch Gold 3-in-1 and make copies of your credit fico score when applying to rent an apartment or a job and say, I can let you look at my FICO score if this is your concern. This lets the people see your credit worthiness without you revealing your FICO score. Now, there are some landlords will will accept visual look at your fico score plus 2 years of your income tax statements. The employers or land lords that will not accept a visual look, you may have to look elsehwere for a new apartment or a new job.

You may find there are doctors, chiropractors, hospitals and insurers that will request your SSN, did you know in most instances, they don't really need it. The only exceptions is if you are applying for medicare. If you are renting a movie and your movie rental place or new gym or spa you just joined is asking for a ssn number, say goodbye, I can take my business else where. I do not want to have reaccuring nightmares of having my identity stolen.

It is not uncommom if you have distant relatives staying over for easter, special holidays, weddings that you rarely see to give out your ssn number to them. We are not going to go as far as telling you not to give it out to your relatives. But ask yourself why they would need it in the first place. My mother in law dropped by the other day while she was waiting to get her new dentures. Things didn't look promising-she was going to be here the entire day including joining us for dinner, and worse my husband was going to be away for a dinner meeting with the boss. We talked about her son and grandchildren for 2 hours, then I realized why don't I get her to do her son's laundry. The thought of her son having to go out to buy more shirts and underwear because all his clothes are dirty horrified her. So, she said with glory and victory gleaming in her eyes, yes I will do it. She did not ask me what my ssn was, thank goodness, not today anyway!