Q&A: SSNs and Written Verification

Question: In the 4350.3 Handbook (Change 4) there is a note on page 9-10 about not using the full 9-digit SSN on “email or other electronic communications”. Do you have any industry clarification on what is meant by “other electronic communications”?  This arose in the course of examining why the SSN was removed from our verification forms.  How does HUD expect us to correspond with third parties who want a SSN to verify the person’s identity?  Justin in FL

Answer:  In section 5-13 B 2, HUD defines electronic verifications as fax, email and internet.  The new verification process in Change 4 should greatly reduce the number of written verification requests a property sends out, so this should not arise too often.  When you need to electronically correspond with verification sources, you would use (as HUD does) the last four digits of the SSN.  That, combined with the person’s full name, would be sufficient for the source to adequately identify the individual.