Hi NL members in The States,
Am based in in Nigeria, but baby was born at my sister's home.

Is the child with you in Nigeria? If so, i'm not sure why she would need the SSN. Why don't you ask her what she needs it for?

If you're looking fo a polite way to decline, you can tell her you don't want the baby's SSN on record anywhere until he/she's old enough, because you are concerned about identity theft.

@ OP

There are several reasons someone might want to use another 's social security number these include :

1- gain employment

2-opening up credit card account

3- for tax purposes

Since is tax period  your sister might want to claim your baby as dependent on her income tax return which may

allow her to gain roughly 2.000 USD per dependent

This practice is common here around this time of the year but it 's ILLEGAL

I guess you have to talk to her to find out

right on cue @ topic.

The most likely reason is that she want's to claim the baby as her dependent for tax purposes. A lot of Nigerians do it here but I doubt it's perfectly legal. Why don't you ask your sister directly? If she hosted you while you were giving birth, why are you having problems having her claim the baby as a dependent? It's not like it's going to cost you anything and your sister is very unlikely to use a baby's SSN to apply for a job or credit card.

If the baby is with you in Nigeria then there really isn't any reason why she should be asking for the SS#. Like someone earlier said, this is tax season and she could get a sizable amount of $ if she files as head of household and claims him as a dependent. It is fraud and she could be arrested and it will be hard to convince the authorities that you were not a party to this obvious attempt to scam the IRS.

The other scenario is to apply for a credit card and it's sad to note that most credit card companies here do not even check to match SS# with DOB before issuing a credit line worth thousands of $$. God forbid the card is defaulted on or goes into collection for lack of fee payment, then your child's credit score will be ruined for life.

My advice, don't give her that # unless you want to gamble with your son's future.

She wants to use it to file for taxes. I believe the Govt gives you $500 for every child you claim on your taxes.

If I remember correctly, the limit is 3. Let her use it, as long as she gives you half of whatever she gets ($250) (This is what I would do because I trust my sister not to do anything crazy. . . like get a job or credit card using my child's SSN)

Thank you very much for all the advice, am grateful.
More insights are still welcome pls.

^^i think you should stop posting while you still have your squeaky clean image and before you start getting analyzed.

which insights are you still looking for again?

good to see you quickly edited because i was about to ask you something.

now you are becoming
DON'T give her the SS#. that's the future of your child in case you want him back to the State. DON'T gamble with it. enough said.

the few dollars she will send you after doing the business (am sure you are now interested after hearing it's for tax) is not worth what await your child in the future. she may be tempted to do other things with the number she got ''legally'' from you.
a stitch in time, saves 9 they say huh?

OP

thank you for changing your post   you are funny.

pslm23:

If the baby is with you in Nigeria then there really isn't any reason why she should be asking for the SS#. Like someone earlier said, this is tax season and she could get a sizable amount of $ if she files as head of household and claims him as a dependent. It is fraud and she could be arrested and it will be hard to convince the authorities that you were not a party to this obvious attempt to scam the IRS.

The other scenario is to apply for a credit card and it's sad to note that most credit card companies here do not even check to match SS# with DOB before issuing a credit line worth thousands of $$. God forbid the card is defaulted on or goes into collection for lack of fee payment, then your child's credit score will be ruined for life.

My advice, don't give her that # unless you want to gamble with your son's future.

This part is patently false. First of all, a minor can't have a credit score. Second, a negative item on a credit score stays on the credit report for about 7yrs (a bit longer for a bankruptcy). I am not suggesting she give up the SSN# if she doesn't trust her sister but there is no use spreading lies to make your point.

armyofone:

now you are becoming 
DON'T give her the SS#. that's the future of your child in case you want him back to the State. DON'T gamble with it. enough said.

the few dollars she will send you after doing the business (am sure you are now interested after hearing it's for tax) is not worth what await your child in the future. she may be tempted to do other things with the number she got ''legally'' from you.
a stitch in time, saves 9 they say huh?

This is her sister for chrissakes! The same woman that hosted her while she was giving birth? You guys are talking as if the woman has nothing to lose herself. How many normal Nigerian-Americans with decent jobs and a family to care about do you see using their nephews/nieces SSN# to commit credit card or employment fraud? Why are you people talking pure nonsense and putting horrible ideas into PatKing's head. I am willing to bet that in a decade or so, this same woman will be asking her sister to "host" the child when he/she eventually decides to return to the US. This is how family relationships are destroyed.

Aunty PatKing, just ask your sister why she needs the number. If she says it's for filing taxes, respectfully express your fears and concerns about the illegality of such a move. To be honest, the only time this causes any trouble is when multiple people claim the same child as a dependent. Even if there is any trouble, your child will be fine; nobody can deny an American citizen entry into the country because a relative claimed him/her as a dependent inappropriately and in the extremely rare scenario that the IRS flags your sister's tax return for auditing, the worst that can happen is that she gets slapped with a hefty punitive fine. Even then, she probably has a legit case. The baby was born while you were under her roof and she can legally claim the child as a dependent. I don't really see what the big deal is here about a social security number.

it is illegal
enough said.

moremi2008:

This part is patently false. First of all, a minor can't have a credit score. Second, a negative item on a credit score stays on the credit report for about 7yrs (a bit longer for a bankruptcy). I am not suggesting she give up the SSN# if she doesn't trust her sister but there is no use spreading lies to make your point.

spreading lies to make my point? wow! another "ugly" hearted person on NL! oya show me where i said a minor has credit score? aproko!!  What I said is:

pslm23:

The other scenario is to apply for a credit card and it's sad to note that most credit card companies here do not even check to match SS# with DOB before issuing a credit line worth thousands of $$. God forbid the card is defaulted on or goes into collection for lack of fee payment, then your child's credit score will be ruined for life.

Are there not hundreds of cases in this country where a child grows up and finds out that he can't even get approved for a simple transaction because his info was used and defaulted upon? Abeg make i hear word jare! My own SIL did it to her own daughter and ended up being sued by her child so don't sit telling me that i am telling lies to make myself feel good,  for who? you?
http://articles.baltimoresun.com/2011-05-29/business/bs-bz-ambrose-child-identity-theft-20110529_1_identity-theft-resource-center-social-security-number-privacy-and-identity-protection
Here's an article from the Baltimore Sun from last year and that's all i will say on this issue.

Kids with mortgages, credit card bills and auto loans
What happens when identity thieves target children
May 29, 2011|By Eileen Ambrose, The Baltimore Sun
When an adult's identity is stolen, he or she often discovers the theft in a month or so, when the next financial statement comes in.

But when it's a child who is being ripped off, it can be many years before the fraud is discovered.

"Parents have no idea that their children's identities have been stolen until they have become adults and find that their credit report says they are in debt," said Steven Toporoff, an attorney with the Federal Trade Commission's division of privacy and identity protection.

^^^^ your lie was the bolded part " then your child's credit score will be ruined for life". That's just not true. All the credit unions have pretty standard methods for clearing a child/minor of fraudulent credit history. In addition, the maximum it can stay on a report is 7-10years. For life? Nah, that's a lie.

moremi2008:

^^^^ your lie was the bolded part " then your child's credit score will be ruined for life". That's just not true. All the credit unions have pretty standard methods for clearing a child/minor of fraudulent credit history. In addition, the maximum it can stay on a report is 7-10years. For life? Nah, that's a lie.

**yawn** ok. wateva! See me drinking choloroquine for someone else's malaria!!

@ poster, she's your sis and that's your kid. Do what your heart says you should!
@ moremi2008, u should learn a little bit of etiquette when it comes to addressing strangers in cyberspace or in person. Nuff said! goodnight!

OP, one good word is enough. Do not send your child SS number to your sister.

do not send your child's social security number to anybody. don't say i did not tell you.

pslm23:

@ moremi2008, u should learn a little bit of etiquette when it comes to addressing strangers in cyberspace or in person. Nuff said! goodnight!

Aunty Psalmist, I demonstrated perfect etiquette by pointing out the lie. Sorry that your feelings were hurt.

moremi2008:

Aunty Psalmist, I demonstrated perfect etiquette by pointing out the lie. Sorry that your feelings were hurt.

She is not lying. She is absolutely right. Her sister can use the childs ssn to get credit and build up credit with the childs name. All she needs to do is give a false age and it happens everyday. Secondly oga teacher it can affect someone for life if the creditor wants it to. If a judgement or lien is put on that debt it can be on the childs neck for more than 7 years and then they can renew it again if they want to. So you do the math and come back and say that she is lying.

Please do not give her the number. It does not matter what she wants to do with it. The number is your child's and not hers. The fact that you trust her does not mean you trust her best friend. There are very few things as hardly sort after in the US as a squeaky clean SSN especially one that belongs to a new born baby. And when it comes to Nigerians, we too like illegality and kurukere issues.

Do not mess with the US government and the IRS when it comes to tax issues. They will [/b]hunt you down [b]one day, and you can take that to the bank

Enough said, although it seems you still want to give her the number anyway .

Outstrip:

She is not lying. She is absolutely right. Her sister can use the childs ssn to get credit and build up credit with the childs name. All she needs to do is give a false age and it happens everyday. Secondly oga teacher it can affect someone for life if the creditor wants it to. If a judgement or lien is put on that debt it can be on the childs neck for more than 7 years and then they can renew it again if they want to. So you do the math and come back and say that she is lying.

Find me a judge that will put a lien on a loan issued to a child. Blah, blah, blah, tired of arguing with hormonal women.

You really believe that the woman will go to court and say I used my childs ssn to fraudulently obtain credit. That child will have to come to the states and fight to clear her name. Do you even believe the crap you type. Paralegal in training

moremi2008:

Find me a judge that will put a lien on a loan issued to a child. Blah, blah, blah, tired of arguing with hormonal women.

see why i said u need to learn etiquette when talking. You can argue your point respectfully without resulting to name calling. What makes you think we are hormonal because we don't agree with your assessment of this issue?

@OP, you really don't know the worth of a squeaky clean SS# do you. If you think the IRS will not eventually find out then you are in lala land! It doesn't take rocket science to figure out that the child whose SS# is being used is not even resident in the States. How long after the birth did you return to Nigeria?

Am absolutely thankful for your honest advices, now I know how your system works.
Which search engine would have given me this much info? but NL, LOL
Thank you very much.

Digressing from original post, to think travel section was Bosnia herzegovina, this section na Iraq, Libya, Iran and North Korea.

well, you're really in a quandary here, if your story is true.

tpia@:

well, you're really in a quandary here, if your story is true.

Must you ALWAYS be a bitter good for nothing BI[i]T[/i]CH?

@OP

Not rocket science. . . it's tax season!!!

QED

If your sister walked around huddles to assist you she would be expecting the same from you. Just remember it`s not your future but that of your child. On the other hand the child's future has been enhanced through the help of your sister.
At the end of the day do that which is right.
One question however for those who might know better?
Especially since the child is a US citizen, can the sister not claim tax benefits if the mother gives her a written document that she is financing the child's upkeep in Nigeria?