The number was on a card in a selling wallet to show how a social security card could fit in it.
In 1938, wallet manufacturer the E. H. Ferree company in Lockport, New York decided to promote its product by showing how a Social Security card would fit into its wallets. A sample card, used for display purposes, was inserted in each wallet. Company Vice President and Treasurer Douglas Patterson thought it would be a clever idea to use the actual SSN of his secretary, Mrs. Hilda Schrader Whitcher.
Although the snafu gave her a measure of fame, it was mostly a nuisance. The FBI even showed up at her door to ask her about the widespread use of her number. In later years she observed: “They started using the number. They thought it was their own. I can’t understand how people can be so stupid. I can’t understand that.”
One embarrassing episode was the fault of the Social Security Board itself. In 1940 the Board published a pamphlet explaining the new program and showing a facsimile of a card on the cover. The card in the illustration used a made-up number of 219-09-9999. Sure enough, in 1962 a woman presented herself to the Provo, Utah Social Security office complaining that her new employer was refusing to accept her old Social Security number–219-09-9999. When it was explained that this could not possibly be her number, she whipped out her copy of the 1940 pamphlet to prove that yes indeed it was her number!
Yes, “they thought it was their own”, that’s exactly what happened. 🤦
Bless her heart.
I guarantee you that some of them did indeed think that.
Ah the old krunning dugers
I wish we could rewind time, have them use 123-45-6789, and see how many people still tried to use it.
Probably about 40,000.
I have the same combination on my luggage, what are the chances?
I guess when the consumers you’re targeting are apparently the type to need a demonstration of how a card fits in a wallet, you shouldn’t expect them to understand that that card is in fact solely for the purpose of that demonstration
You could have big writing “FOR DEMONSTRATION PURPOSES ONLY” all over it and you’d be suprised at how few would actually fucking read that text.
If you want people to skip reading a certain piece of information, make it the title.
Whenever I visit a grocery store that requires a phone number for member number it’s (area) 867-5309
One of my local grocery stores has it flagged so it locks down the self-checkout till a worker comes over and I forget every time I go T.T
My grocery store has a house rewards program account that the cashiers are all more than happy to swipe the card for you if you ask nicely.
Remember to fund/develop your public infrastructure.
Pro tip - if you need to make up a fake SSN for whatever reason, make one of the digit groups all zeroes and it will be invalid. E.g 123-00-4567
