Friday, March 11, 2005

~ save social security number access for private investigators ~

Our superduper PI advocate, Francie Koehler tells it like it is, providing a clear, everyday example of how private investigators use the social security number to solve legal cases.

Those who rely on these consumer databases to do their jobs worry about losing access. Francie Koehler, a licensed private investigator based in Oakland, Calif., said her organization, the California Association of Licensed Investigators, believes there should be stronger penalties for illegal access of databases and stronger requirements for access.

"Unfortunately, [the SS number] has become a national identifier and the only way we have of verifying someone is who they say they are. Private investigators spend a lot of time locating people. Unless you have a Social Security number, you can't verify that is the correct person."

For example, Koehler recently handled a background check of a potential witness who had falsified his graduate school credential.

"Without a Social Security number, you can't even check that," she said. "To eliminate that as a possibility would create some problems within the legal community." Read the article