What Is a Social Security Number Trace?
A Social Security Number (SSN) trace is a reverse search on an SSN in a proprietary database (meaning, its use is by those with a need to know, such as law enforcement, credit bureaus, and private investigators). For example, IRBSearch is a proprietary database.
Sources
Proprietary databases compile their data from a wide variety of sources, such as lending institutions, utility companies, cable companies and more. Wherever you apply for credit, chances are your personal information, including your SSN, are forwarded to proprietary databases.
Validity
The SSN trace verifies that the Social Security Administration issued the SSN, as well as the time frame and state of the issuance.
Residential History
An SSN trace shows a person's residential history, often going back a decade or more. Reasons for retrieving this information might be an employer conducting a pre-employment background check, an attorney locating witnesses or a private investigator looking for a person.
Aliases
Any aliases associated with the SSN show in the results of a trace. It's important to note that it's not always the case someone purposefully uses an alias--it might be the name was incorrectly spelled by a database operator, it's a maiden name or an abbreviation (Ken instead of Kenneth).
Associated Names
Sometimes another person's name shows up in a trace as also using that SSN. Often this indicates a family member or friend who is linked (for example, through a business transaction) with that SSN. Sometimes it indicates someone else has access to that SSN, indicating identity theft.
Date of Birth
An SSN trace shows the individual's date of birth. It's possible there might be different dates if the date was entered incorrectly by a database operator, incorrectly transcribed on a form by an official or submitted incorrectly by the individual (for example, a criminal might do this to mislead authorities).
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