Should I give out my SSN?

Here is the e-mail I received about a job:

We have several openings for pc technicians at a Naval base at XXXXXX. The base is doing a pc roll-out and the work involves installing and configuring pc's and helpdesk work.
If this is of interest to you, please e-mail your resume as a Word document and I will contact you.
Looking forward to hearing from you.
Thanks.
Sarah
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX, Inc.
XXXXXX-1030

To this I answered with the following:

Dear Sarah:

I am interested in applying for the Naval base project at XXXXXX. I
have completed a similar project for SmartSource, Inc. and, therefore
have the necessary experience required. As you will see in my resume,
I am A+ certified. I also have other relevant certifications.

I'm looking forward to your reply.

Sincerely,

XXXX XXXXX

She replied.

Hi, XXXXX,
Thanks for responding. Your resume in an excellent match for this position.
This is a weekend job for only 2 days, Sat. & Sun., December 11-12.
If you would like to proceed, please provide your social security # and date and place of birth, as we need to send this info to the base before you can work there.
What is your hourly rate?
Looking forward to hearing from you
Sarah
XXXXXX-1030

I thought it was weird that she was asking me for my SSN right away without asking for anything else first, so I e-mailed her back asking why she needed this info.

Sarah:

I will need a little more information before I can divulge my SSN. I
need to know, why it is needed? How will it will be used? What happens
if I refuse to give the number? What law requires me to give my
number? I'm asking these questions because it's really hard to tell
social engineering from legitimate business nowadays.

Sincerely,
XXX XXXXXXX

And finally she e-mailed me back with this:

Hi, XXXX.
The position is at a Navy base, and we need to submit a Visit Authorization Letter before you go onto the base, and that information is required to be on it. You will also get a badge when you get to the base, and they give that out based on the info on the Visit Authorization Letter.
Your concerns are certainly legitimate, and we would like to assure you that your personal information will not be used for any other purpose.
Our company has been cleared by the Defense Security Services, which is a division of the Defense Dept.
If you have any other questions, please feel free to call me at XXXXXXX.
Thanks.
Sarah

What do you think? Is this legitimate? I do need work but what I don't need is identity theft to happen.

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Comments

routerhelp

I do contract work for HUD. Your SSN will be needed to do any work for the Feds. However giving it to them over e-mail seems really insecure. Do they not have an office you can go too?

HackNack

Well, they're (allegedly) a recruiting firm that is out of the state which I live in.

HackNack

I think I have been a target for a phishing attack.

E-mail from sarah@infotechsystemsinc.com

And she signs her e-mail with:

Sarah
Infotech Innovations, Inc.

If you go to www.infotechsystemsinc.com, you'll find out that it's an empty geocities site.

garv221

Wow, that did sound wierd. I wouldn't have done it either. Scam..

jacev1

keen wrote:

I think I have been a target for a phishing attack.

E-mail from sarah@infotechsystemsinc.com

And she signs her e-mail with:

Sarah
Infotech Innovations, Inc.

If you go to www.infotechsystemsinc.com, you'll find out that it's an empty geocities site.

Give them a fake ssn, make it off by a few numbers. If they contact you and it's a real job say it was a mistake. If they don't, then you know it was a scam & just feel sorry for the poor sucker that has that ssn # you gave them ....lol.

/usr

Though I don't know why a reputable company would choose Yahoo to host their site...a whois shows that it was created on Monday, Feb 21, 2000. It's a fairly old site...

HackNack

The bottom line is that she is sending me an email from a different domain than the one she claims to work with. Plus, as LostInSpace poined out, a reputable company would not be using geocities to host their web content and if they did they would make sure that it's actually up.

On the other hand she did leave a number. Then again, it's not a 1-800 number.

Right now I'm leaning toward not replying and reporting this as a phishing attempt.

RussS

SCAM

Webmaster

I need to read the 'Art of Deception' from Kevin Mitnick again to create some personal security awareness (that, or you guys are getting paranoid

)

I would have asked her for her phone number and address after her second reply, and check if there is a public listing.

Plus, as LostInSpace poined out, a reputable company would not be using geocities to host their web content and if they did they would make sure that it's actually up.

Fortunately for us techies, plenty of companies run websites, or html files that they consider a website, on free hosting sites. They don't check if it is up because they don't expect any visitors after they admitted to themselves their website is not a website a reputable company should run.

The bottom line is that she is sending me an email from a different domain than the one she claims to work with.

Still no alarm bells here...

Right now I'm leaning toward not replying and reporting this as a phishing attempt.

I'd do some more research before scaring away a potential employer. If it turns out to be legitimate, she probably won't blame you for going on about the SSN and understand it.

Again, maybe I'm just being naïve, and the email doesn't seem all that professional, but she is asking the right questions so I think it would be worth investigating further without jumping to conclusions at this point.

.
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where was that book again...
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Ah here it is...
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hmmmm...
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Scam!

HackNack

I don't want them to take my $15.32 in my bank account!

/usr

I don't know where you live, so I can't help you out much.

Google the company name, both of them. See if it any relevant searches turn up in your area.

Did these people email you out of the blue and ask if you were interested in work? I don't understand how you came in contact with them to begin with...

HackNack

LostInSpace wrote:

I don't know where you live, so I can't help you out much.

Google the company name, both of them. See if it any relevant searches turn up in your area.

Did these people email you out of the blue and ask if you were interested in work? I don't understand how you came in contact with them to begin with...

I have my resume posted EVERYWHERE, so I usually get calls and e-mails offering work out of the blue. I live in Florida by the way.

I searched for the name of the company she claims to represent and it's legit, however, she is not e-mailing me from that company's email address which means that she might not be who she says she is. That's my main problem.

Webmaster

I searched for the name of the company she claims to represent and it's legit

If you can find any contact info you can perhaps try to contact them and explain the situation to verify if she is working for them. She already mention that your concerns are certainly legitimate, so they'd understand if you'd take some extra effort to verify.

HackNack

I called their number and some lady with a thick accent told me that the position has been filled. So much for that one.

/usr

By "the position has been filled" they mean "We have someone elses bank account information."

Computer_Wizz_Pizzaguy

I'd have to agree that most likely, they shouldn't use email for an SSN. Being military that would be the biggest f'up I can think of....since that was referring to a "Naval" base. i can't help but think it was somebodies belly button they were referring to.

The only information I will EVER give out to an anonymous person is my name, cell phone, and if contacted via phone, my address. They get to mail me something with a return address on it if they expect to get my SSN.

Just MO though.

HackNack

Computer_Wizz_Pizzaguy wrote:

I'd have to agree that most likely, they shouldn't use email for an SSN. Being military that would be the biggest f'up I can think of....since that was referring to a "Naval" base. i can't help but think it was somebodies belly button they were referring to.

The only information I will EVER give out to an anonymous person is my name, cell phone, and if contacted via phone, my address. They get to mail me something with a return address on it if they expect to get my SSN.

Just MO though.

I think I will "officially" adopt your policy on information.

I feel good about not giving out my information, though; even if it was a legit job

RussS

From my understanding - to do any work at all on a military base you need to undergo a background check first (even if it is only to unclog the john) - if the advert did not mention anything like that then chances are that is bogus are very high.

Computer_Wizz_Pizzaguy

Maybe not the john part, but yes most jobs on base require that or a clearance.

Computer_Wizz_Pizzaguy

Our company has been cleared by the Defense Security Services, which is a division of the Defense Dept.
If you have any other questions, please feel free to call me at XXXXXXX.
Thanks.
Sarah

I have never heard of such a thing.[/quote]

crabeater

I also have resumes posted on many places, and have recieved emails saying they have a temp job for me. They included an 800# so I could talk to them.

Maybe I made a security mistake, but I did give the guy my SS# at the end of the conversation because I felt comfortable. They told me exactly what the job was, and where, too. Then they emailed me all sorts of forms that I filled in. Everyting turned out legit. (got paid!!!)

It they want you, they need to give a number you can call. And the web sites they lead you to must look legit too (I checked that first too).

FunkyG

It is always a good idea to be protective of one's social security number.
And I would not usually send mine via an unsecured email either.
However, please note that many of you have read Sara wrong. This is not a SCAM - it is a legitimate offer of work from a small business operator.
Infotech Innovations is a legitimate recruiter.

Many recruiters work alone - cruising the resume posting sites for resumes (Monster, Dice, CareerBuilder, HotJobs, etc). All they have to do is register as a company with jobs to offer and they have access to the resumes. I have been placed as a contractor by many of these smaller recruiters - from my resume postings on these sites.

Had Sara been asked for a phone number she would have provided it- and explained why as a contractor your social security number would have been needed.

IF you have a security clearance - you already know that is how you are tracked through the system, especially in any system run by the federal government. She needs that in order to forward your clearance to the customer.

I know for sure that she is a headhunter for QUALXSERV, a company that is an IT subcontractor for EDS - the HUGE GOVERNMENT CONTRACTOR.
Qualxserv has been doing rollouts (pc deployments) for the Navy Marine Corps Intranet project for a few years now - hiring techs all over the country to install workstations.

So HackNack - If you are still looking - respond to her email and see if they are still working in your area. She will likely have some openings. Techs leave these temp jobs all the time - it is serious work (in this area it pays about $18 an hour)

So in the future - do be dilligent about protecting your personal information - but do not miss a great job opportunity because you are TOO CAUTIOUS.

And for all of those who cried SCAM - without knowing for sure -
continue to be wary of suspcious activity - but do not judge or declare or advise anyone so strongly without knowing all the facts and/or doing a little investigating. You may prevent someone from getting a blessing.

I simply "Googled" INFOTECH INNOVATIONS and within minutes I had links that provided me with previous job postings on several job sites from this company - and I even found an address in Brooklyn New York and a phone number. (In fact while I was googling the company to find their address - that was how I found this discussion!!) The number happened to be the same phone number that I called to talk to her after she emailed me for a position in the Hampton Roads area.

She provided that number in her initial email to me. And I have spoken with her and verified the company she was recruiting for in this area. I had also been contacted by QUALXSERV for the same position (in previous years).

SMALL BUSINESS are legitimate businesses too.
It does not take a huge major corporation to fill a contractor job.
On the website - http://www.infotechsystemsinc.com you will find a simple listing of jobs.
ANd a link to submit resumes and a link to submit job openings.
Sometimes simple is all you need.

But I would not put my SSN in an email either. (Well you could encrypt it in a PDF file and password protect it- then send that in an email).
I hesitate to give it out personal info over the phone too. But I have done it as a contractor - and likely will do it again.

And my life story is on my resume. So go figure!!

Peace, Love, and Tolerance.

FunkyG

Dionysus

I've done work for SmartSource, and was not impressed. They are legit though.

Thier communication skills suck... I was called upon for a position that required only an A+ (which is all I had at the time). The job mentioned building pc's, troubled shootting pc's, installing software, ect... the ussualy A+ stuff. But when I got there they had me configuring Cisco catalysts, routers, running phone lines off a 66 block (which I had never even seen before), ect. And of course the client thinks it was all my fault for not knowing how to do this stuff when that was what I was brought in for.

Turns out they needed someone with a serious networking background. That someone was not me. All I got out of the deal was an email saying my contract had been canceled.

P.S. I did manage to fake it for almost a month