Social Security cards and driver's licenses on your phone (US)
Why the Social Security number matters
The US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) says thieves who get hold of details such as your Social Security number (SSN) can use them to open accounts in your name, steal your tax refund or get medical care. It says only some organisations, such as the IRS, your bank and your employer, genuinely need your SSN, and that you should ask others why they need it, how they'll protect it and whether the last four digits are enough.
A photo of the card puts the full number, with your name, in your camera roll.
What to do with the pictures
- Find them. Here's how to look. Check chats and email attachments too.
- Delete what you don't need. Deleted photos stay in Recently Deleted for 30 days. With iCloud Photos on, deleting applies to all your devices. Empty Recently Deleted to remove them sooner. That can't be undone.
- Keep the card itself somewhere safe, such as a locked drawer at home, rather than as a picture. This is our advice. The Social Security Administration (ssa.gov) has its own guidance on protecting your card.
- For a driver's license, a locked picture is better than a loose one. The Vault is one place. Here's how the options compare.
- Consider the Wallet app. Apple says you can add a driver's license or state ID to Apple Wallet if you're in a participating US state or territory, with Face ID or Touch ID turned on. Apple says the data is encrypted.
If a picture was seen or shared
You can't take back a copy someone else holds, but you can make it much harder to misuse. These are the FTC's steps.
- Freeze your credit. A credit freeze stops new credit being opened in your name. It's free, and you place it with all three bureaus: Equifax, Experian and TransUnion. You can lift it when you need credit.
- Or place a fraud alert. It asks businesses to check your identity first, lasts a year, is free, and you place it with one bureau, which tells the other two.
- Report it. If your SSN was used, report it at IdentityTheft.gov to get a recovery plan. If you gave it to a scammer and aren't sure whether it was used, the FTC points to IdentityTheft.gov/databreach.
- Ask the IRS for an Identity Protection PIN. The IRS says it's a six-digit number that stops others filing a return with your SSN. Only you and the IRS know it. You get a new one every year, and you'll need to confirm your identity to get the first.
This is general information, not legal advice.
How FirstHour helps
Protect looks through your pictures on your iPhone for IDs and shows them in a group called IDs and passports. For US documents, it looks for a Social Security number next to the card's own wording or a tax form's, such as "Social Security", so a plain nine-digit number in a note isn't flagged. For driver's licenses it looks for the wording and personal fields on the card, a license number that follows its label, and the barcode on the back. Pictures stay blurred until you're ready, and you can move them to the Vault. Nothing is uploaded.
US documents have only been tried on made-up examples so far, so treat it as a helper, not a guarantee. It can miss handwriting and blurry or cropped pictures, and it doesn't check videos, PDFs or your Hidden album.
Questions
Is it all right to keep a picture of the card in my Hidden album?
It's better than the camera roll, but it opens with your Face ID, Touch ID or iPhone passcode. Anyone who knows your passcode can open it.
Does this guide apply outside the US?
The steps and agencies here are for the US. FirstHour itself isn't limited to any country. See our guide on photos of your ID for the general advice.
Sources
- What To Know About Identity Theft, Federal Trade Commission
- Credit Freezes and Fraud Alerts, Federal Trade Commission
- What To Do if You Were Scammed, Federal Trade Commission
- Get an identity protection PIN, Internal Revenue Service
- Add your driver's license to Apple Wallet, Apple Support
- Delete or hide photos and videos on iPhone, Apple Support