Gunfighters to phase out full Social Security numbers on IDs

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Brian Stives
  • 366th Fighter Wing Public Affairs Office
MOUNTAIN HOME AIR FORCE BASE, Idaho --  As a means of combating identity theft, the Department of Defense will begin issuing identification cards without full Social Security numbers printed on them.

"The Defense Department cares about protecting personal information as well as increasing database security," said Mary Dixon, director of the Defense Manpower Data Center based in Arlington, Va.

"Identity theft is a very real problem today," said Robert Sherman, 366th Mission Support Squadron customer service site manager. "Criminals who pilfer Social Security number-bearing identity cards can virtually assume someone's identity through a few computer keystrokes and clicks of a mouse."

TriCare, the military services' health maintenance organization, has already removed Social Security numbers from its members' identification cards, Ms. Dixon said.

"Plans are to remove the Social Security numbers from identification cards issued to military family members by the end of this year," said Mr. Sherman, noting that those cards would still display the sponsor's SSN, for now. "Between 2009 and 2010, all identification cards issued at Mountain Home will feature only the last four digits of a holder's Social Security number."

About 3.4 million people now have department-issued common access cards. Around two-thirds of those card holders are military members, and some civilians who deploy overseas, who have full Social Security numbers printed onto the back of their Common Access Cards.

"You might lose that card," said Mr. Sherman, noting that family members, including children, could misplace their identification cards, too.

Modern information technology precludes the need to have full Social Security numbers printed onto employee and family member ID cards, Ms. Dixon said.

"Today, all of our (computer) systems can 'talk' to each other, so we don't necessarily need to know all of that information printed on your card," she said.

New identification cards will be issued as they reach their expiration dates, Mr. Sherman said.