Is it safe for a stranger to look up info on ancestry.com for me?

Question

Let's say the person being looked up for me on ancestry.com is no longer alive and their social security number is on display (which it is for those who have passed). Can't the person doing the searching try to steal it for their own identity?

I guess I just want to be sure it's safe to let a stranger look up something for me.

Thanks

Answer 1

I have looked people up on ancestry.com for "strangers" ever since I started answering questions on Yahoo Answers. Some people may be stupid enough (excuse me for saying it that way)  to try and use the numbers they see in the SSDI, but I am NOT one of them. This index is also on www.rootsweb.com and www.familysearch.org.

     I have my own Social Security Number to worry about, so I don't need to steal another person's--dead or alive.

    So, if you feel you can trust me, my email address is in my profile. Just let me know how I can help.   =)

Answer 2

It's completely safe. Not every person who dies in the US shows up on the SSDI. Anyone who has children or a spouse still receiving benefits from their account, for instance, won't show up on the index until the entire family is done receiving survivor benefits. When someone shows up on the SSDI, the number has officially been closed and all of the credit bureaus notified of the person's death.

BTW, it's a misconception that Social Security numbers are public domain after your death. They're not. Your family is not required to tell Social Security that you've died...they just can't continue collecting benefits in your name. The reason those numbers are released is specifically so that creditors can verify that a person is dead and can find out if a probate case has been opened so that they can file claims against the estate. It's the same as a public notice in the newspaper that a will has been filed, but it's done on a larger scale.

Answer 3

Social securtity numbers are public domain once you die.  So can someone steal a dead person's number? Absolutely, it happens all the time! Plus, why have someone else do it?  It's free at this site:

http://ssdi.rootsweb.ancestry.com/