A Bloomberg reporter’s account of trying to get back his name and credit rating

Re:A Bloomberg reporter’s account of trying to get back his ... by grecy on Monday August 12, 2019 @09:17PM (#20681921)

I don't have a SSN (I'm not an American citizen), but I've spent quite a bit of time in the US. I had a bank account, drivers license, registered a car in my name, etc. etc.

What stops you from just refusing to give out your SSN, or simply saying you don't have one (even if you do?)

Obviously getting a credit card might be annoying, but to get around that I just put down a $500 "bond" and got a Credit Card with a $500 limit (so the bank was guaranteed not to lose it's money).

Can you not just refuse to give out your SSN and still get on with life in America? (I get on OK without one)

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Re:A Bloomberg reporter’s account of trying to get back his ... by aianus on Monday August 12, 2019 @11:11PM (#20682477)

> Can you not just refuse to give out your SSN and still get on with life in America? (I get on OK without one)

That's really strange, is it because you're not employed in the US?

I am not a US citizen but I have a US SSN because I lived there on a work visa (multiple times). Employers have always asked for my SSN to check my work authorization through e-Verify. Every time.

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Re:A Bloomberg reporter’s account of trying to get back his ... by grecy on Tuesday August 13, 2019 @08:04AM (#20684912)

Right, I'm just a tourist (6 months at a time though, which gets me a drivers license, etc)

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