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Identity Theft Help

Employment Identity Theft / SSN Misuse

Employment identity theft occurs when someone uses your Social Security number to get a job. The employer reports wages to the IRS under your SSN — and you get the tax bill for income you never earned.

Signs of employment identity theft

  • •IRS notice CP2000, stating that your reported income doesn't match what employers reported.
  • •Your Social Security Earnings Statement (at ssa.gov/myaccount) shows wages from employers you've never worked for.
  • •Tax refund denied or reduced because the IRS thinks you owe additional tax.
  • •Collection notices for a debt you don't recognize — sometimes an employee-related debt (uniform costs, training reimbursement).
  • •Denied employment or security clearance because background check shows you worked somewhere you didn't.

Immediate steps

  1. 1.Pull your Social Security Earnings Statement at ssa.gov/myaccount. Identify every employer you don't recognize.
  2. 2.File IRS Form 14039 (Identity Theft Affidavit) — this alerts the IRS that someone has been working under your SSN.
  3. 3.Respond to any IRS notice (especially CP2000) by the deadline. Explain in writing that you did not earn the income and attach Form 14039.
  4. 4.Contact the Social Security Administration to report the fraudulent earnings. Call 1-800-772-1213 or visit your local SSA office.
  5. 5.File an FTC Identity Theft Report at IdentityTheft.gov.
  6. 6.Consider filing a police report — especially useful if the identity theft is ongoing.
  7. 7.Get an IRS Identity Protection PIN at irs.gov/ippin.

Lock your SSN with the Social Security Administration

Through your my Social Security account, you can enable a "self-lock" that blocks electronic access to your SSN for employment verification purposes. This can prevent someone from being hired using your SSN — though it will also block legitimate employers from verifying your work authorization until you unlock it.

SSA earnings correction

If fraudulent wages appear on your Earnings Statement, you can request a correction. The SSA will investigate and, if it confirms fraud, remove the earnings from your record. This matters for Social Security benefit calculations — you don't want your benefits tied to fraudulent employment history.

Credit-report connection

Employment identity theft by itself typically doesn't appear on a credit report. But if the IRS issues a tax lien for the fraudulent income, or if a debt collector pursues an employee-related debt, those will show up. Dispute them citing the underlying identity theft.