Ryan wanted to order new Comcast service but balked at their request for a Social Security number. When he asked why they needed it, the Comcast chat rep said “The Patriot Act” required it. That doesn’t sound right to us, or to Ryan. His story and full screenshot of the chat, inside…
Ryan states:
“After completing the order procedure on their website I was directed to a live chat window. After waiting about twenty minuets a Analyst joined the chat. She immediately requested I provide my Social security number in order to open a new account. I refused to provide my SSN and asked for details as to why it was required. Her answer is that the Patriot Act requires them to get my Social Security number.
As you can see in the transcript I attached, she referred me to their legal department. I actually asked for the phone number five to ten seconds before she closed the chat. But when I viewed the chat transcript it says the chat was closed before I asked. That is a neat trick.
Can what she told me actually be true? …I don’t believe [the Patriot Act] requires me to provide my SSN just to get Internet service.”
This is ridiculous. if I am purchasing a telecom service, I shouldn’t be required to do anything except provide billing information and pay my bill on time. These operations usually bill a month upfront so I don’t see a credit check being an issue. What could they possibly need your Social Security number for? The order taker is probably from India or Pakistan anyway, with identity theft being at epidemic numbers, why should I give any private information to these bozo’s? Right, maybe I should just trust them….
I have Comcast but I don’t remember if I was required to give them my SS number. If they did, I gave them a fake one. Little do they know that my real SS number is 305-83-2644.
#1 Hey Springheel Jackass – That’s my SSN!
The utility companies do this too.
They are probably checking to see if you had service before.
Hey!!!!! That’s my number too!!!!!
This is why the “national identification card” storyline throws me for a loop. Our SSNs are already an identification system that we’ve submitted to, why act like anything is different?
Hmm. Every utility I’ve every subscribed to required a SS#. This goes back decades.
You’all don’t understand how the government protects our privacy. The law is that no one other than the government can “require” you to provide your SSN, and even then, only when the issue at hand is your SSN account.
The small print does say that anyone can ask you for you to give them your SSN on a voluntary basis. A few years back, I recall being given “options” of providing my SSN or the address and phone number of where I lived for the last 20 years. Sadly, with this allowance, over the years, companies have grown to deny service if you don’t voluntarily provide this information.
Gee, seems like some kind of meddling regulation is appropriate to stop this abuse, or would that interfer with the free market?
AFAIK The only people who really can require your SSN are the government and the bank.
Hmmm… Every utility I’ve ever subscribed to does not require an SSN. When I confronted them on it, and when they said, “It’s for identification, sir,” I responded, “It says right on the card, ‘not to be used for identification.'” They then took the rest of my information, and was never asked for my SSN ever again.
Don’t let them get over on you like that. Ask them to read to you, the specific section of the law that states that they ‘need’ it. Chances are, they will not be able to. At which time, they will tell you that it’s “company policy.” Answer like I did. I am sure that you can not have to give them your SSN, EVER!
#6. Federal law does not prohibit a merchant or other business from requesting your SSN. However, there is no state or federal law that requires you to provide your SSN to any entity not authorized by law to require it. Businesses, private agencies, etc. are free to request your SSN and use it for any purpose that does not violate state or federal law.
For example, retail stores, prospective landlords, prospective employers, utility companies, and other service providers often ask you your SSN, but they do not need to and you are not required to give it. They can do a credit check or ID their customers by alternative means. Remember that you are under no obligation to provide your SSN to any merchant or other business. However, that merchant or other business is free to decline your business if you refuse to disclose your SSN.
http://www.ago.state.co.us/idtheft/ssn.cfm.html
Does Comcast block incoming requests to port 80 or do I need a new ISP when I set up my home server?
#11 “Does Comcast block incoming requests to port 80…”
I used Comcast before and I had to call & have them open up the ports so I could remote into our Exchange server using Outlook so I suspect that they would block.
Yah know, if the government where component and a SSN couldn’t be faked or stolen. Then I could see using it as some sort of identity conformation. But it’s the government they hasn’t been able to do anything with competence in my life time.
#13 – There isn’t a component of government that has any competence.
What’s the bother…soon they’ll have an RFID chip in our frontal lobes…
I recently subscribed to service from Time Warner to get digital cable and cable modem. Their policy is that if you don’t want to give your SSN, you may sign up for automatic payments via a credit card. Fair compromise to me.
Looks like nanny-state Canada protects the privacy of its SIN (Social Insurance Number) better than the Land of the Free protects its SSN. In Canada it’s the federal gov’t or the bank. Possibly the subsidized health insurance uses it. I haven’t carried around my SIN card in years, and don’t even have the number written down on a slip of paper in my wallet anymore.
Use the SSN from the LifeLock dude.
Do you really want to know WHY, they want it..
Its for banking purposes and if you run up a BILL, you can be tracked and FOUND with your SSN.
Corps got nosy, and we GOT LAZY about giving it TO EVERYONE. NOW they expect it on EVERYTHING..
@Springheel Jack
They DO NOT block 80 on my link.
#16 Think about what you’re saying. If you don’t give them the keys to your identity you can give them your credit card to bill as they please automatically at the end of the month?? This is the cable company we’re talking about after all.
If thats a fair compromise can you lend me $200,000? I’d like to buy a house.
For anyone who reviewed the history of WWII and how, over the 4-5 years prior, the Germans were able to get the Jewish community to give up a “little freedom” here and there for sake of “their safety” will understand that over time your privacy/freedom is taken away from you in small, un-noticable steps.
1. Show them your papers, what do you have to hide, right?
2. If you are innocent, then why should you care if you are searched without probable cause.
3. Its ok to implant me with RFID chips (star of David patch), I’m an upstanding citizen with no criminal record.
4. I don’t mind the authorities tracking my every move, I’m not going anywhere I’m not supposed to be, right?
5. Free FEMA trailers with showers and rations.
At this point you are probably laughing, but most of those steps above have already been tested. Will you stop laughing when step 3 comes around? The National RFID ID card is in the works, will you patriotically carry it? If you sit down and compare the 70s/80s to post 9/11 America, you can easily see the direction we are going in. Laughing now?
Feeling Comcastic now?
It is highly doubtful if a person gave a SSN a couple digits off their billing department would notice. Not that such things matter in today’s target marketing climate.
#23 sirfelix,
BRAVO!!!!!!(shouted at an annoyingly high volume) You get it. After all, its not like the cop pulled you over on the road because he thought you were innocent. 😉
Why should I have to tell the government where I am when the junk mail always finds me??
#1, #2, #4—I looked up that number, 305-83-2644, to see if there was any cultural background on that number, to see if you were alluding to something. Google said the answer was -2422.
#25… Google was incorrect. The answer to life, the universe, and everything is 42!
If you want to “fake” an SSN, you are going to have to learn the good ‘ol Mod10 check (sometimes called a LUHN check). You cant just choose a random number that “looks” like an SSN, because it will fail the check digit. ANY computer system that accepts an SSN should only accept a valid SSN…
SKL
All this was done on a website, eh? Why does “phishing” come to mind?
I remeber in college where almost all our test scores were posted on the bulletin board outside of the classroom by SSN. My chem 101 class had about 200 students per period. That’s about 1200-1400 students altogether, posted on computer paper in a freely accesible hallway of a building open 24/7. By the time I graduated, I probably knew 20-25 SSNs of the others who shared my major. A lot has changed in the last 25 years to make me VERY paranoid about giving it to anyone.
When I was a kid you went to a bank where somebody knew you and your family for that first loan.
Now you can spend a lot of money with one click and nobody knows for sure who made the click.
They loan to total strangers without even a good photo or finger prints.