by I saw this story linked on another site:
DOD to Drop Social Security Numbers from ID Cards
By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press ServiceWASHINGTON, April 1, 2011 – Beginning June 1, Social Security numbers on military identification cards will begin to disappear, said Air Force Maj. Monica M. Matoush, a Pentagon spokeswoman.
The effort is part of a larger plan to protect service members and other DOD identification card holders from identity theft, officials said.
Criminals use Social Security numbers to steal identities, allowing them to pillage resources, establish credit or to hijack credit cards, bank accounts or debit cards.
Currently, the Social Security number is printed on the back of common access cards, and on the front of cards issued to dependents and retirees. Beginning in June, when current cards expire, they will be replaced with new cards having a DOD identification number replacing the Social Security number, officials said. The DOD identification number is a unique 10-digit number that is assigned to every person with a direct relationship with the department. The new number also will be the service member’s Geneva Convention identification number.
An 11-digit DOD benefits number also will appear on the cards of those people eligible for DOD benefits. The first nine digits are common to a sponsor, the official said, and the last two digits will identify a specific person within the sponsor’s family.
Social Security numbers embedded in the bar codes on the back of identification cards will remain there for the time being, and will be phased out beginning in 2012.
The department will replace identification cards as they expire.
“Because cards will be replaced upon expiration, it will be approximately four years until all cards are replaced with the DOD ID number,” Matoush said.The identity protection program began in 2008, when DOD started removing Social Security numbers from family member identification cards.
Maybe it is time to go back to the old fashioned Serial Number that all members of the Armed Services had in days gone by. You know, as in “name, rank, and serial number.”
Given the rise in identity theft, I’m amazed that it took the military this long to make the change. Having suffered an episode of identity theft, it is a pain in the ass to have to contact all the banks and credit card companies, fill out all the affidavits, and notify all of the Big Three credit reporting agencies.
When you consider how many of today’s military are or have been overseas for extended periods of time, it is not hard to imagine the criminal mischief that identity thieves can do in 12 -18 months. DOD should not take up to four years to replace all the ID cards as that will only drag out the problem.
H/T SoldierSystems.net