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)](https://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.Pull your Social Security Earnings Statement at ssa.gov/myaccount. Identify every employer you don't recognize.
- 2.File IRS Form 14039 (Identity Theft Affidavit) — this alerts the IRS that someone has been working under your SSN.
- 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.Contact the Social Security Administration to report the fraudulent earnings. Call 1-800-772-1213 or visit your local SSA office.
- 5.File an FTC Identity Theft Report at IdentityTheft.gov.
- 6.Consider filing a police report — especially useful if the identity theft is ongoing.
- 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.