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CNN Live Today

Interview with Bill Daly, Control Risks Group

Aired May 20, 2002 - 12:13   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Want to get a closer look right now at how terrorists might easily Social Security numbers and do it illegally. A new government report finds that some 100,000 Social Security numbers were wrongly issued to non-citizens last year alone. Also, some of the 19 September 11 hijackers had falsely obtained cards.

Let's talk more about it with Bill Daly. He's with Control Risk Group. That's an international consulting agency. He's live in New York -- Bill, good afternoon to you.

BILL DALY, CONTROL RISKS GROUP : Hi, Bill. How are you?

HEMMER: We mentioned some of the numbers. How pervasive is this, sir?

DALY: Well you know, Bill, even before September 11, this was a challenge for a law enforcement and private industry alike. Is that theft or misuse of Social Security numbers has become quite rampant. It's not only just people getting them through false documentation, but it's people who take real Social Security numbers. Sometimes of people who have passed away, are deceased, or people who are still living, and use them to get jobs and open bank accounts and everything else.

HEMMER: I think, Bill, one of the things about this story that probably shakes a lot of people up is the fact that there is no way to prevent it -- why is that?

DALY: Well, Bill, if we go back and look at actually what Social Security numbers were meant for, they were meant to open up this account to help you -- to have the government take money out of your pay and put it away for your golden years. However, it has slowly become something that's used as the benchmark by which everyone can open up savings accounts, get drivers licenses, go to school, et cetera. It becomes a tracking number, and it was not actually designed in the beginning to be like that.

HEMMER: Can officials go in to the current records, Bill, and search for those who are doing this in an illegal way?

DALY: Well, I mean, it is very difficult. Right now there are some challenges just getting INS and Social Security to talk together to make sure that people who apply for current Social Security numbers are legitimate. Nonetheless, go back and call out all these people who perhaps have it either obtained illegally or are misusing it. I think what we have do is -- this is not a immediate near-term solution, but it is something that has to be worked on just because of fact it's become the key to open up all of these other doors.

You know if we look at how people get passports and the identification you need to get there, I would suggest that getting a passport and having your passport number is much more verified than you would when you get a Social Security number.

HEMMER: How long do you think it will take, Bill, to clean this up?

DALY: I think we're looking at years before we can get our grip around it.

HEMMER: Years?

DALY: Yes. I think...

HEMMER: And with the Social Security number, that's like a golden key in this society.

DALY: Exactly. And what they're doing now is that they are -- the government has launched several initiatives to arrest people, to in some cases deport them for misuse of Social Security numbers, because they see them being used to get everything from airport security cards, on through to bank accounts, identity theft, and a variety of other issues. And even some of the people who were picked up in some of the early investigations into 9/11, were actually held on charges such as this, which was misuse or making false representation in getting Social Security numbers. But it goes way deeper than that and it does get into the fact of even using real live good Social Security numbers people just glean from the garbage or get it from some other document and then use it.

HEMMER: Well, listen, thanks for helping us bring it to light. Bill Daly, live in New York. Something certainly that raises a lot of eyebrows in a lot of different corners -- thank you, Bill.

DALY: Thank you.

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