I am posting here because I hope I can get a quicker answer than under the other headings.

A man came into the bank with a friend to interpret because he did not speak English. He opened an account. The CSR ran an OFAC check but did not noitce until today (don't ask) that the SS# is invalid, not yet issued. The CSR called and spoke to the friend to be sure she did not transpose the numbers, but the same SS# was given and the CSR was told that was the SS# the customer used for work.

Who do I notify? Should we close the account? We have never had any problems like this since I've been working here, so I am rusty on what should be done.

If it is an ITIN, rather than an SSN, it will show as unissued if your inquiry system does not accomodate ITINs. Does the number start with a '9'?

No. It starts with a "3" like most SS#s.

The vendor SS verification systems aren't letter perfect. SSA is not 100% current in letting everyone know which blocks of numbers have been released for issuance, so it might be a while before numbers in a new batch are recognized as "kosher."

On the other hand, if this person has been using this number for some time, it's likely it's bogus.

Something similar - we've had two new corporations recently have returned CTRs due to the inability to match their TINs. I have the paperwork from the IRS stating this is their TIN. I talked to FINCEN and she apologized and said sometimes it takes up to 6 months for the numbers to be recognized.

As stated in other threads, I, unfortunately, have personal experience in this area. While the numbers might not yet be through the system, the chances are just as good that these numbers belong to someone else. In order to work in the USA, you need a SS#. I know of people using dead realatives' numbers or numbers they've somehow purchased.

Please pm me of the action you take on this. I don't know who to report to either.

If you use ChexSystems to "verify" your SS#'s, it can take up to 6 weeks for them to get their files updated. We've had several customers who have just gotten their SSA cards - they're still attached to the mailing labels, even - but ChexSystems insists that they're "not yet issued". So if it's a newly-issued SS#, you most likely will get that response.

Here is an e-mail I sent to our staff on this topic along with a response from the SSA office on what to do:

We have experienced several instances recently, where the CB report would return the message, "SSN invalid". When that occurs, we should be on the alert for possible fraud. Ask to see the card and make sure that the seal of the Social Security Administration appears in the background. A fake Card ring has been using the seal of other government agencies where the SS service was previously housed. Should fraud be evidenced, you should complete a Suspicious Activity Report and contact local law enforcement immediately. Retain a copy of the card.

However, fraud is not the case in all instances. The CB report bases this on a list of issued numbers maintained by the SS administration and errors occur. When that happens, it is in the best interest of your customer to follow the procedures shown below in the e-mail from the Social Security Office to clear up this confusion. You may either have them call this number in your presence (document your file that this occurred) or bring you the paperwork from the SSA office prior to opening the account.

Please call if you have any questions.
-----Original Message-----
From: ^SSA Comments [mailto:SSA.Comments@ssa.gov]
Sent: Tuesday, April 30, 2002 7:30 AM


Thank you for your inquiry.

The number holder would need to phone 1-800-772-1213 to verify their social
security number. Identifying questions will be asked to verify the number
and person. If a mistake appears the number holder will be told to go to the
closest social security office. If all information is correct and the person
needs proof of this the local office can print out the information to prove
the number belongs to that person.

There are other services other than Check systems. One is the Veris system that is faster, cheaper, with ssn data updated weekly and OFAC data updated every 24 hours. Try http://veris.info for more information.