Celebrities are more likely to be victims of identity theft because they have little privacy. This means that celebrities are already at risk of identity theft if their Social Security numbers are shared with the public.
This was what Nicki Minaj discovered when a media outlet published a booking photo of her in 2003. They didn’t remove her Social Security number. After being subject to excessive inquiries regarding her credit reports Radar Online reports, her credit score plummeted more than 100 points.
It is very difficult to make your Social Security number public. This happened to one woman in a bizarre but true story. It was due to a wallet manufacturer’s mistake in 1938. 40,000 people used her number for many decades. It didn’t cause her credit problems. Although credit reporting agencies saw the activity on Minaj’s phone and notified her representatives about it, this doesn’t stop the fraudsters from doing more damage. Although she should be able to correct her mistakes, identity theft resolution can often take months, or longer depending on the extent of the fraud.
Although we don’t have any details about Minaj’s financial history, it is unlikely that credit problems would cause celebrity success as much as it would for an average citizen. They may be able to access loans or other services tied to their credit score to get credit cards, such as insurance rates and utilities.
Obligatory or not, a public Social Security number can be a problem for a lifetime.
Adam Levin, a credit.com co-founder and expert in identity theft, said that this is probably the most important piece of personal identifying information. The Social Security Administration won’t change your Social Security number. It will be there for you all your life.
Minaj’s identity theft was detected quickly due to the severity of the fraud. However, many victims of fraud don’t realize the crime until a year later. Regularly checking your credit scores and accounts for signs of fraud can help to reduce the chance of it being missed. If you were in Minaj’s position, but weren’t notified by another person about credit problems, you wouldn’t know that your score had dropped 100 points in a single month. Therefore, you wouldn’t be able to detect the fraud.
You can quickly repair credit scores by regularly checking them. You should also examine the credit reports that your credit scores are calculated from. Everybody is entitled to free copies of their annual credit report . Credit.com allows you to get two free credit scores each month.
When someone steals your Social Security Number, it’s not just your credit that is at risk. Your identity could be used to commit crime or seek medical attention. This can make it extremely dangerous.
Levin stated, “You can do all the right things, but unfortunately, the crucial information about you will make it a lot easier for someone else to masquerade as yourself.” It’s difficult to protect yourself.
