BIRMINGHAM SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINSTRATION ID THEFT INCIDENT

A former Birmingham, Alabama Social Security Administration employee has been sentenced to more than 2 years in prison for identity theft.  The employee, Ame-Cherie Denise Thompson, 34, of Birmingham, Alabama used someone else’s Social Security number to get a car loan for a friend.  After Thompson gets out of prison, she will also have to serve 5 months of home confinement for the misuse of a Social Security number.  U.S. District Judge Sharon Lovelace Blackburn sentenced Thomas on Thursday. She pleaded guilty to the charges in February.

Thomas was employed by the Social Security Administration and worked in the Birmingham Teleservice Center.  She answered calls from to the Social Security Administration’s customer service number. She also had access to the SSA database and could get Social Security numbers.  In April 2009, using her work computer, she accessed someone else’s Social Security number and gave the number to a friend.  The friend used the number on a fraudulent credit application at Tom Williams Imports and tried to buy a BMW.

Employers should limit their employees to access to personal identifying information.  Also, employers should run background checks on its employees to try to prevent fraud and identity theft.  Have you been a victim of identity theft?  Contact data security lawyer Micah Adkins for free information on how to protect you identity and your legal rights.