United States Government Publishing Office publisher pbl distributor dst United States Government Accountability Office author aut Government Organization text government publication eng GAOREPORTS Legislative Agency Publications gao legislative 2010-08-12 U.S. Government Printing Office 2003-10-15 monographic deposited born digital 40 p. GA 1.13:GAO-04-12 https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-GAO-04-12 P0b002ee18037334e f:d0412 DGPO 2010-08-12 2011-03-24 GAOREPORTS-GAO-04-12 machine generated eng fdlp REPORT GAOREPORTS-GAO-04-12 GAO-04-12 Internal controls Resident aliens Social security benefits Social security number Strategic planning Identity verification Interagency relations Fraud Other Written Product A08705 In 2002, the Social Security Administration (SSA) issued nearly 6 million new Social Security numbers (SSNs), of which 1.3 million were issued to noncitizens. Despite its narrowly intended purpose, the SSN has in practice become the national identifier. SSNs are key pieces of information in creating false identities, underscoring the importance of issuing SSNs only to those eligible for them and of protecting those already assigned to individuals. The flow of noncitizens into the United States and the accompanying number of SSNs issued to them over the last several years add to the importance of having sound practices to avoid issuing SSNs to those who do not qualify for them. Congress asked GAO to describe and assess SSA's key initiatives to ensure the appropriate issuance of SSNs to noncitizens and identify vulnerabilities to error or fraud SSA has not yet addressed. https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-GAO-04-12/html/GAOREPORTS-GAO-04-12.htm https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-GAO-04-12/pdf/GAOREPORTS-GAO-04-12.pdf GAO-04-12 https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-GAO-04-12 Other Written Product GAO-04-12; Social Security Administration: Actions Taken to Strengthen Procedures for Issuing Social Security Numbers to Noncitizens, but Some Weaknesses Remain; Internal controls Resident aliens Social security benefits Social security number Strategic planning Identity verification Interagency relations Fraud