Question

in the wrong hands, which of the following pieces of personal information would present the greatest risk for identity theft?
a. address
b. date of birth
c. mother’s maiden name
d. social security number
please select the best answer from the choices provided
a
b
c
d

Explanation:

To determine the personal information with the greatest identity theft risk, we analyze each option:

• Address (a): Can be changed or is less unique for identity verification.
• Date of birth (b): While important, it's not as unique or as directly tied to financial/legal identity as some other info.
• Mother’s maiden name (c): Used for security questions but not as critical as a unique, government - issued identifier.
• Social security number (d): It is a unique identifier used for tax, employment, and many financial and legal transactions. If stolen, it can be used to open accounts, file false tax returns, and commit other serious identity - related frauds. So it poses the greatest risk.

Answer:

d. social security number