Expert: Consuelo Herrera, International Accountant and Fraud Examiner - 7/21/2008

Question

please answer wat u can" thanks!
hi,i get ssdi  from the SSA and am wondering if <and in general < no matter  what ones income sources are> what will running  a social security number  check  yield?
are  ssa records  of  earnings past and  present and the disability  determination and  reviews  and medical info submitted or  accessed in oorder to make a determination are confidential to  other parties?
with  a court order?
subpoena?
iin what type of case?
for  setting child support?
or determining mental  or psychiatirc competence in a  family  court or other case?
for  a criminal case  where the  rercipient is the defendant?

if obtainable, is there any way to safeguard it or add extra protections?
or are the records  transmissiion in the above scenarios immutable and  automatic?

in another scenario if someoen is not working  how will family court determine if she should pay child support and how much?
what impact do studnet loans or  gettin ssdi ahve  on such a case?
if a bank acct is closed  are the legal statements avail  afterwards
r they subpoenable?
is there any way to prevent this?
or to blot out  specific  financial or toher info
(if not financial can  one block out where paymens  or debits wwent to )lets say i made a payment to a lesbian dating site and would be embarrased if this became known)
or if  a hold is placed on a  bank account
what would happen to  the statements  retrievability - either by me or the courts?
also, will  putting ones last anme on a  childs  birth certificate or filing for  a dependent child tax credit lead to  accesibility to the  public or  private or  non irs governmental agnecies being able to determine  that  i was once married and  have a child too? if its listed on the 1040 or docs that are frequently asked fo rin the private and public sectors?

Answer
Dear J.

Sorry for the delay but I have to do more research on this matter.
I will get back with you soon with detailed information.

Thanks for your understanding.


Follow up:

If someone or the government want to do an investigation on wrongdoing or fraud, that is accomplished through forensic investigators. They have the tools and knowledge to search hidden records and reveal instance, Social Security numbers identify a nonexistent number or a geographic location associated with a particular prefix.

The three first digits identify the state of issue. However, for privacy reasons, this is a very complex matter. Determine whether a particular Social Security number used by a suspect or in a suspected fraudulent transaction, takes time, but it is achievable.

Subpoena and court requests are enforceable so information requested through these means is made available.

The IRS has insights that may help you out to clarify your concerns. Please visit www.irs.gov and search for "Fraud"

Hope it helps.


Sincerely,


Consuelo Herrera, CAMS, CFE