Should I give recruiter my DOB and last four digits of SSN?

Question

This site has had similar questions about giving private information to recruiters but I haven't seen this particular case.

When I'm cold-called by an recruitment agency about a job, and I agree to be submitted, they often ask for birth month/date and the last four digits of my SSN. I'm never really comfortable giving it, but I usually do.

The agent who called today asked for the last four plus the FULL date of birth. (Most likely illegal.) I'd probably decline to give the info except for one thing: I gave it to this company two years ago, for better or worse.

The agency submitted me to a prestigious company that year and the next year, and I even got an interview out of it. So not only does this agency seem somewhat legitimate, but we may actually have a "relationship".

The new recruiter says my information is no longer in their database. Is there any reason I should not give this new guy the same information I gave his agency before?

Answer 1

I can think of one very good reason why you shouldn't give him the information: you don't want to, and he almost certainly doesn't need it right now.

Challenge them on this. Ask why they require the information, what it's being used for, and how it's being secured after you provide it (if you're emailing it, there is no security!). They're asking for it and expecting it because not enough people stand up for themselves and say "no."

If you don't like the prospect of giving them this information, then don't. If they won't move you further in their process over this, move on to the next recruiter. Forget what happened two years ago with this information. The past is the past.

I have never been asked for this information on a cold-call. Or any other stage of the interview/application process prior to the actual employment paperwork & background check.

Answer 2

I was asked this recently by a recruiter (minus the birth year) and I refused. I was told that the information was needed to create a unique key. After establishing that that was the only reason they needed it I told them to enter my birthday as 11th November and the last four digits of my SIN as 1111. That seemed to work.

Of course you can't all do exactly that...

Answer 3

Asking a candidate their age or date of birth is actually an illegal interview question, just as asking what is your religion or if you are handicapped. Cannot ask and completely inappropriate and unprofessional. If a recruiter is asking questions like these, walk away.

Per the EEOC, there are "prohibited practices" for hiring- employers cannot base hiring decisions on race, age, religion, sex, etc., thus we cannot ask certain questions during the hiring process.

Once the hiring process is completed and a successful candidate has been selected, the employer can then have them complete a background check to ensure that the candidate is who they say they are- they have the work experience and degree(s) and also verify if they have a criminal record, etc. There are federal laws in place to help ensure that these checks are not used to discriminate.

I have had situations in the past where a candidate was selected for a position and a background check showed that the candidate had not earned multiple degrees they said they had earned. Candidate was not hired.

There are definitely some unscrupulous recruiters out there who lack ethics and integrity, and they make things harder for the majority of us who honestly try to do things the right way. If you get a call from someone who is being cagey and will not share important details, like the name of their client, and who cannot share basic information like a job description or company benefits, you should probably cut bait.

Answer 4

It's possible that two candidates might have the same last 4 digits and birth year so giving that extra information might uniquely identify you.

Or they might mistakenly be asking for the full birthdate.

Just point out that you only usually give your birth year and ask for clarification on why they want the full date.

And yes, things do get lost/deleted (and some people don't know how to search databases, but won't admit to it).

Answer 5

I posted the original question three years ago. Since then, for better or worse, I have been giving recruiters my birthday/date (not year) and last four digits of my SSN.

A few months back, I got an e-mail from a recruiter I had been corresponding with; it accidentally included some information that was supposed to go the hiring company. In a cell on a form, in included the numbers that I've been giving out for this purpose.

As far as I'm concerned, this confirms what @user7780168 said: these numbers are one's ID for the hiring systems out there.

Answer 6

Just for general advice, it is a bad idea to give away the last four digits of your social security number. Just like it is bad advice to play Russian Roulette. It may be fine sometimes, but other times the outcomes are very bad. Unfortunately you have no way of knowing.

When I'm cold-called by an recruitment agency about a job, and I agree to be submitted, they often ask for birth month/date and the last four digits of my SSN.

So, the OP receives a call from someone claiming to be a recruitment agency. That is what we know.

We also know that due to the way SSN was historically generated, someone's state, date of birth and last four digits of SSN are enough in order to determines someone's SSN with a high degree of accuracy.

The fact is the person you are speaking with knows you once used the recruitment agency before means nothing. There have been numerous reported data leaks. I would also not be surprised if the recruitment agency has sold the information on-wards to other firms.

I recommend generating and storing fake versions of this information. If the consideration is for uniqueness, this is a legitimate solution.