During my full-day benefits training seminars for Federal employees, I teach a section on Social Security. Late in the day it can be difficult to focus on this exciting topic, so if my student’s interest should wane, I usually ask, "Who would like to take a break from all the rules to hear the story of the most misused Social Security Number of all time?" So, once upon a time . . . .
Back in 1938, not too many years after the Social Security program was started, a wallet manufacturer in Lockport, New York named E. H. Ferree Company decided to create and promote a new wallet design by showing how your new Social Security card could easily fit into their wallet. Company Vice President Douglas Patterson thought that it would be a great marketing idea to include a sample Social Security card, so he had the company print up sample cards and insert them into each wallet. Their wallets were sold at Woolworth and other department stores all around the country.
Although we are very protective of our data and privacy these days, that wasn’t really the case back in the 1930’s. So Mr. Patterson didn’t think anything of printing his secretary’s real Social Security number on all the sample cards that were inserted into the company’s wallets.
At that time, the Social Security program was very new, so people didn’t really know much about it. Although the card wasn’t the same size as a real Social Security card, was printed in red, and even had ‘specimen’ written across it, many buyers of the wallet thought ‘How convenient! I don’t need to go through all the trouble to register for a number because a Social Security card comes with the wallet.’
Many of those who bought the wallet adopted and began using their ‘new’ Social Security number. The Social Security number 078-05-1120 belonged to Ms. Hilda Schrader Witcher -- yes, Patterson’s secretary. Much to her surprise, the FBI showed up at her door one day to inquire why so many people were using her number (‘What sort of racket is this dame running?’), and the story was uncovered.
Of course, the Social Security Administration cancelled her number, and issued Hilda a new one, but over time as many as 40,000 people have used and reported Hilda’s number as their own. The largest number of users at one time occurred in 1943, when 5,775 people were using the number conveniently issued to them by Woolworth. Even as recently as 1977, there were 12 people found to still be using her number.
And what did Hilda have to say about all this fuss? “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.”
Oh, Hilda my dear, you really should visit the year 2017.