I realize you have a question about social security. My goal is to help you better understand your options.

I am going to give you some very important information. Act as quickly as possible to minimize personal losses due to this issue. Please note that you cannot just get a new social security number just yet - you will have to suffer some sort of identity theft and trouble resulting from the theft of your information before the social security administration will issue a new card.

You should contact the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). Or, you can call 1-877-IDTHEFT (1-877-438-4338); TTY 1-866-653-4261. The FTC website is a one-stop national resource to learn about the crime of identity theft. It provides detailed information to help you deter, detect and defend against identity theft.

You also may want to contact the Internal Revenue Service. An identity thief might also use your Social Security number to file a tax return in order to receive a refund. If the thief files the tax return before you do, the IRS will believe you already filed and received your refund if eligible.

If your Social Security number is stolen, another individual may use it to get a job. That person’s employer would report income earned to the IRS using your Social Security number, making it appear that you did not report all of your income on your tax return. If you think you may have tax issues because someone has stolen your identity, contact the IRS Identity Protection Unit or call 1-800-908-4490.

Also, you should file an online complaint with the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) at www.ic3.gov.

The IC3 gives victims of cyber crime a convenient and easy-to-use reporting mechanism that alerts authorities of suspected criminal or civil violations. IC3 sends every complaint to one or more law enforcement or regulatory agencies that have jurisdiction over the matter.

IC3’s mission is to receive, develop and refer criminal complaints regarding the rapidly expanding arena of cyber crime. For law enforcement and regulatory agencies at the federal, state, local and international level, IC3 provides a central referral mechanism for complaints involving Internet related crimes.

The IC3 reflects a partnership between the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the National White Collar Crime Center and the Bureau of Justice Assistance.

You also should monitor your credit report periodically. Free credit reports are available online at AnnualCreditReport.com.

If you have done all you can to fix the problems resulting from misuse of your Social Security number and someone still is using your number, social security can at their discretion give you a new social security number. It won't be easy, and might take some fighting, but it's possible and documented here.

Report any potential fraud and abuse to the three credit bureaus.

• Equifax - 1-800-525-6285
• Trans Union - 1-800-680-7289
• Experian - 1-888-397-3742

Document that you have done all this, and if the situation is not rectified you can go back to social security and ask for a new number. It's not routine at all, and you will have to physically go to their office. Before doing this, though you will have to document that you have done everything you can (filing police reports once theft is identified, consumer reports etc) to rectify the situation, and you will have to also show that it's causing you hardship. So, if you get all this taken care of and you don't suffer any losses, then you won't need a new social security number.

Let me know if you need any additional information.

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