Social Security Numbers For Sale — Only $18

A provision in a federal law approved in the 1990s makes it easier for identity thieves to obtain Social Security number of recently deceased people and then use those numbers to steal, according to a recent finding by the Massachusetts state auditor’s office.

The provision, within a welfare reform law, requires that the Massachusetts Registry of Vital Records and Statistics include Social Security numbers on all certified death certificates, according to a letter sent by Massachusetts Auditor Joseph DeNucci to a Massachusetts congressman. And anyone can obtain a death certificate from the registry for $18, Denucci noted, according to a report in the Boston Globe. The same problem may be affecting similar registries in states across the United States,

“Coupled with a gap of several months before deaths are reported to the Social Security Administration, this scenario reflects a significant vulnerability in confidentiality and homeland security,’’ DeNucci wrote in his letter, to Massachusetts congressman Stephen F. Lynch. “The ability of individuals or entities to acquire multiple Social Security numbers by a simple request is an open invitation to identity theft.’’

Massachusetts officials said they had no evidence that anyone has taken advantage of the potential exposure.

Still, Denucci noted in his letter that law enforcement officials routinely find people using false Social Security numbers to fraudulently obtain everything from public benefits to the ability to work in the United States.

Lynch, in response to DeNucci’s letter, said in a statement: “We will be seeking either a legislative or regulatory fix to the current situation. Congress has been grappling with the wider issue of identity theft and is currently in the process of scheduling hearings to further investigate the vulnerability created by personal information contained in government-issued documents.’’