They are absolutely reused. I know this because mine was previously issued to a ... | Hacker News

Hacker Newsnew | past | comments | ask | show | jobs | submit

		kolanos on Aug 17, 2024 \| parent \| context \| favorite \| on: Releasing everyone's SSN and the hacks used to acq... They are absolutely reused. I know this because mine was previously issued to a man who died in the late 50's.

13of40 on Aug 17, 2024 | [–]

I've heard people say that, but the SSA's FAQ says otherwise:

"Q20: Are Social Security numbers reused after a person dies?

A: No. We do not reassign a Social Security number (SSN) after the number holder's death."

https://www.ssa.gov/history/hfaq.html

fuzzythinker on Aug 18, 2024 | [–]

It should be an error then, it isn't reused according to https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_Security_number#Exhaust...

Guidelines | FAQ | Lists | API | Security | Legal | Apply to YC | Contact