Credit agency pushes feds to give it access to list of social insurance numbers
OTTAWA — An international credit reporting agency is pushing the federal government to give it access to a monthly list of new social insurance numbers despite years of rejections over privacy concerns.
TransUnion made the request anew earlier this year, shortly after Patty Hajdu became labour minister, to access the list that contains the range of social insurance numbers issued each month in various regions of the country.
Currently, only government officials are allowed access to the list to help root out fraudsters in programs including social safety net ones overseen by Employment and Social Development Canada.
TransUnion argues that the information would help it better detect identity theft because social insurance numbers that have either not been issued, or those not issued at birth, are often used to fraudulently apply for credit cards and loans.