Social Security Shenanigans

Source: San Francisco Chronicle

Audra Schmierer's Social Security number really gets around. It has been used by at least 81 people in 17 states, most of them probably illegal immigrants trying to get work.

The federal government took years to discover the number was being used illegally, but authorities took little action even then.

"They knew what was happening but wouldn't do anything," said Schmierer, 33, a housewife in this affluent San Francisco suburb. "One name, one number, why can't they just match it up?"

An excellent question, Audra.

Under current law, if the Social Security Administration or the Internal Revenue Service find multiple people using the same Social Security number, the agencies send letters informing employers of possible errors.

The IRS can fine employers $50 for each duplicate number, a punishment that companies often dismiss as just another cost of doing business.

"Sending letters is the limit to what can be done," Social Security spokesman Lowell Kepke said. "We expect that will be able to fix any records that are incorrect."

The information on mismatched names is seldom shared with law enforcement agencies.

Running into a brick wall of "we can't do anything else" from the government, Schmierer started investigating on her own. Most of the instances she was able to track down involved using her SS number for employment purposes, strongly suggesting that it was being used by illegal aliens.

Schmierer filed a police report after learning one man had used her information in 2003 at janitorial and landscaping companies near Haltom City, Texas.

Investigators found the man, who told officers he had bought a fake Social Security card at a flea market, according to a police report. He was not arrested.

Let me ask you this: if I bought a fake Social Security card at a flea market to present to an employer, and I was found out, do you think anyone would be reporting that I "was not arrested?"

Of course, if the Senate had their way, the man would not only not be arrested, he'd be granted a "path to citizenship" and be able to collect Social Security benefits illegally accrued with a citizen's identification.

Recognizing and acknowledging this makes me a racist and a xenophobe how?

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