More New Jerseyans being asked for their Social Security cards
Miami herald
Associated Press
Sep 18, 2006
HACKENSACK, N.J. - Whether it's dealing with banks, schools, government agencies, hospitals or other companies, New Jersey residents are increasingly being asked not only to provide their Social Security numbers, but to show their Social Security cards as well.
The requests for people to show cards, a demand that sometimes violates state and federal laws, has left New Jerseyans applying to replace mislaid cards at a higher rate than the rest of the country, according to Jane Zanca, a spokeswoman with the U.S. Social Security Administration's New York regional office.
Zanca cited the tougher security measures in the New York area as a possible explanation.
The number of replacement card applications in New Jersey was up 10.2 percent, to 312,289, in 2005, according to the Social Security Administration. The previous year, applications were up 12.5 percent.
The requests for cards in New Jersey, as well as other states, have raised concerns among civil libertarians that Social Security cards are becoming national ID cards.
