By Leada Gore
al.com
(TNS)
Protecting personal information like your Social Security number requires care.
But keeping that information safe—especially Social Security numbers and the physical card—has its limits.
The Social Security Administration said you should never laminate your physical Social Security card. Doing so can prevent some of the card’s security features, such as the blue marbleized paper designed to make it tamper-proof, embedded planchettes and raised printing.
It’s safest not to carry your card at all, the agency said.
“Your Social Security card is not an identification document and, in many situations, you only need to know your Social Security number,” the agency said.
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For those who want a card option, digital is the way to go.
The agency rolled out a digital SSN feature allowing account holders to display their numbers without having to produce a paper card. The number can be accessed through the “my Social Security” portal on desktops or mobile devices.
The online card allows people who have forgotten their Social Security number or misplaced their card to have access to their number without having to visit an agency office or wait for a new card in the mail.
Photo credit: Social Security Administration/Instagram
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