New Accounts

• If you check your credit reports, then you will see accounts opened under your social security number. When new accounts pop up that you have not opened, this can be a signifier that your social security number was stolen. Contact those creditors immediately to notify them of potential identity theft and gather information on the account, such as when it was opened and paperwork used. You may also want to consider putting a freeze on your credit, which prevents any more accounts from being opened.
  
  

New Credit Cards or Bills

• You go to check the mail only to find new credit cards or bills for accounts you have never heard of. This is a common warning sign of your social security being stolen. Contact these companies immediately to get details in regards to the account and have them closed out immediately.
  
  

Credit Denial

• Some individuals do not realize their social security number has been stolen until they go to apply for new credit. If you normally have good credit or reasonable credit and suddenly you are being turned down for credit cards or other loans, your social security number may have been stolen.
  
  

Debt Collection Notices

• Debt collectors will trace addresses associated with an individual's social security number. Therefore you may start receiving phone calls or mail from debt collectors on accounts that you have never heard of. Contact these companies immediately to find out the account in question and determine whether or not your social security number was used fraudulently.
  
  

Government Benefits

• Senior citizens are often targets for social security theft. If you retire and begin to apply for government benefits and are turned down, this can be a sign your social security number has been stolen. Request information on whether or not benefits are being received under your name and file a fraud report immediately with your local government.
  
  

Job Verification

• A less common sign that your social security number may have been stolen is when a company calls to verify information about a job you have applied for or contacts your relatives in regards to a job you have applied for. Often they will get this information when conducting background checks on your social security number when someone fraudulently uses your social security number to apply for a job.