Aside from your name, your Social Security number is one of your most important pieces of identification. It is how you are identified in countless ways – from paying your taxes to your credit history to verifying who you are – yet Social Security numbers increasingly are being used by those who want to exploit that information for their own gain.

What happens if your Social Security number is stolen or illegally used by someone else? As anyone who has gone through such an ordeal can testify, it can be a nightmare that takes years to overcome.

The fraudulent use of SSNs imposes significant costs to the government, the private sector, and to individuals who are the victims of identity theft. Identify theft is one of the fastest growing financial crimes in the country, affecting some 500,000 to 700,000 people annually. Reported monetary losses associated with identity theft increased from $442 million in 1995 to $745 million in 1997.

A recent survey shows that victims of identity theft spent two to four years or more to rid themselves of an average of $18,000 in fraudulent accounts.

As the 107th Congress gets to work, legislation that will further protect your Social Security number is likely to come up for consideration. In the closing days of the last Congress, the Ways & Means Committee approved legislation that would impose new restrictions on both public and private sector uses of Social Security numbers. Unfortunately, Congress adjourned before a final version of the bill was enacted.

To prevent individuals' Social Security numbers (SSNs) from falling into the wrong hands, we need legislation that would:

• Prohibit federal, state or local governments from selling SSNs or displaying SSNs on government checks or employee identification; 
• Prohibit states from displaying SSNs on drivers' licenses or other forms of identification; 
• Require the Federal Trade Commission to issue regulations restricting the sale and purchase of SSNs and any unfair or deceptive acts or practices in connection with the sale or purchase of SSNs;
• Impose new criminal and civil penalties for selling or purchasing SSNs;
• Prohibit companies from requiring individuals to disclose their SSN as a condition of doing business; 
• And, prohibit credit card bureaus from including an individual's SSN in their credit header information.

I also would like the legislation to include greater protections for Social Security beneficiaries who rely on representative payees to receive their benefits and to complete financial transactions on their behalf. These people are the most vulnerable in our society and are usually so severely disabled or impaired that they are unable to handle these responsibilities on their own.

We are living in the Information Age and it's time to strengthen the law to make it harder to access individuals' SSNs. Your Social Security number is your window into a multitude of functions in our society. Congress needs to make it much harder for criminals to get their hands on an important part of your identity.