By H. Nelson Goodson
November 19, 2013
Washington, D.C. - On Monday, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that the E-Verify program can now identify fraudulent use of Social Security numbers (SSNs). The E-Verify system will operate "by detecting and preventing potential fraudulent use of SSNs to gain work authorization. An employer, for example, may enter information into E-Verify that appears valid – such as a matching name, date of birth, and SSN – but was in fact stolen, borrowed or purchased from another individual. This new safeguard now enables USCIS to lock a SSN that appears to have been misused, protecting it from further potential misuse in E-Verify."
If an employee attempts to use a locked SSN, E-Verify will generate a "Tentative Nonconfirmation" (TNC). The employee receiving the TNC will have the opportunity to contest the finding at a local Social Security Administration (SSA) field office. If an SSA field officer confirms the employee's identity correctly matches the SSN, the TNC will be converted to "Employment Authorized" status in E-Verify. Employees who successfully confirm their identities are encouraged to call USCIS so they can learn more about available resources on identity theft and fraud prevention, according to the USCIS.