Validating legitimacy of a social security number or other identifier

摘要

Methods and systems for predicting statistically probable systematically assigned identifiers are disclosed, as are methods and systems for determining the likelihood that a systematically assigned identifier provided by a purported assignee of the identifier is legitimate. In one example, determining the likelihood of legitimacy includes determining the likelihood that the provided identifier is a valid identifier and determining the likelihood that the provided identifier was assigned to the purported assignee. To accomplish this validation, the present disclosure employs patterns of assignment discernable for systematically assigned identifiers in combination with statistical methods.

主权项

1. A machine-readable storage medium containing machine-executable instructions for performing a method of validating a provided Social Security Number having a Group Number purported to be associated with a person, the machine-executable instructions comprising:
a first set of machine-executable instructions for receiving the provided Social Security Number; a second set of machine-executable instructions for predicting a set of statistically probable Social Security Numbers, wherein said second set of machine-executable instructions includes:
machine-executable instructions for estimating an average birth rate for a state; andmachine-executable instructions for using the average birth rate to estimate a frequency at which the Group Number changes; a third set of machine-executable instructions for comparing the provided Social Security Number to the set of statistically probable Social Security Numbers so as to determine a likelihood that the provided Social Security Number is legitimate; and a fourth set of machine-executable instructions for communicating the likelihood to a reviewer.