It's legal for them to ask but you can refuse to give it. They can also refuse to do business with you. I would NEVER give my SSN to them, you don't know where your paperwork, with your SSN, will be stored. It could be in an unlocked cabinet, available to anyone's eyes.
I'd fill it out and leave it blank and make no comment. They are probably used to people refusing that request. Like my friends above stated they can ask, but you don't have to comply.
I've watched a few friends go through identity theft and would never give out that information. It's horrible what they've gone through. Not enough laws in place to make them whole again. Some lost thousands and spent thousands trying to get their lives back. Not pretty.
If this place or any place gives you grief about not complying I'd not do business with them. Because that would be a huge red flag. They don't need it, why cause an issue? I personally could not leave my beloved horse with a place who gave me grief over something so dangerous to me yet petty to them.
Just a few thoughts. Welcome to blurtit. :))
All good answers so far.
I'd start with leaving it blank---there's no reason they need it other than for their convenience.
As a practical matter, I would have two numbers available to write in if they insist unless you want to go somewhere else.
If you happen to accidentally transpose a few numbers, well---mistakes happen.
If you are interested in how SS numbers are determined, here's how:
This is almost ten years old but it depends on your state. Personally? I wouldn't give them your S.S.N. But you might have to call someone in your local government to get what you need to know. Or even Social Security themselves.
There’s no law preventing a self-storage or other business from requesting an SSN as part of a transaction, and few restrictions on what it can do with the information once it has it. A customer may claim you can’t request his SSN under privacy laws; however, the Privacy Act of 1974 only applies to government agencies.
Under the act, all federal, state and local agencies must provide a disclosure statement explaining how the SSN will be used and under what statutory or other authority the number is requested. The act also states that an individual cannot be denied a government benefit or service if he refuses to disclose his SSN unless the disclosure is required by federal law.
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