Ryan wanted to order new Comcast service but balked at their request for a Social Security number. When he asked why they needed it, the Comcast chat rep said “The Patriot Act” required it. That doesn’t sound right to us, or to Ryan. His story and full screenshot of the chat, inside…
UPDATE 1:How To Get Utilities And Phone Service Without Giving Up Your SSN
UPDATE 2: Comcast Admits Error In Requiring SSN Under “Patriot Act”
Ryan writes:
After completing the order procedure on their website I was directed to a live chat window. After waiting about twenty minuets a Analyst joined the chat. She immediately requested I provide my Social security number in order to open a new account. I refused to provide my SSN and asked for details as to why it was required. Her answer is that the Patriot Act requires them to get my Social Security number.
As you can see in the transcript I attached, she referred me to their legal department. I actually asked for the phone number five to ten seconds before she closed the chat. But when I viewed the chat transcript it says the chat was closed before I asked. That is a neat trick.
Can what she told me actually be true? …I don’t believe [the Patriot Act] requires me to provide my SSN just to get Internet service.
I think the Comcast rep somehow thinks that Comcast falls under the “Know Your Customer” clause of the Patriot Act. As far as I understand it, that only applies to financial companies or financial intermediaries, neither of which I believe Comcast qualifies as.
RELATED: Know Your Customer – Patriot Act [Wikipedia]
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Another reason why I feel good about cancelling my cable. I’m going to miss sports, but there’s nothing much else on worth $50 a month. TV news is just recycled internet information, two days late! Or manufactured conflict ignorant of the facts. I CAN’T TAKE IT ANYMORE!!!!
Get off the grid folks and hit these f*ckers where it hurts. The only reason they can demand SSNs and give lousy, overpriced service is because they know people can’t say no because they NEED television. We’ve become a distopia that sci-fi writers envisioned forty years ago: mindless, ignorant, spoon-fed false information, sitting hypnotized in front of the unblinking, dispassionate “eye” of Big Brother.
Btw, how come WE THE PEOPLE can’t take back some of the airwaves we own?
I work for a finacial institute and we require your SSN to set up an account. I’m sure that isn’t news to you, but let me just say that since the Patriot Act came out we need to verify almost everything. This includes things that a bank shouldn’t really care about. Like where you live. We don’t care about where you recieve your mail, like a PO.BOX or your parents house. You need to proove you actually reside where you say you do. This creates a lot of customer service issues since a lot of people have alternate mailing address or poboxes. We aren’t going to drive to your house and ask for you. Makes my job a lot more difficult and drives away tons of customers. Also the Patriot Act is actually taking away our freedoms and bears the name Patriot. Comcast may or may not be lying, either way…..
SCREW YOU PATRIOT ACT!
They can do the same thing they need to do with a SSN by asking for a birthdate, and that goes for credit checks too. This is most likely to put you on the hook when they try to collect a bill they think you owe them.
You don’t have to provide SSN to open an account. You have to do it to open it ONLINE. They just need some sort of positive verifiable identification. The Patriot Act (yes, I think it’s BS too — that’s another debate) requires communications companies to provide customer information to law enforcement agencies through a formal request process. You can’t do that unless you do some due diligence to determine exactly who that customer is in the first place (and that they’re not using a stolen identity, etc. They’re asking for the SSN as a convenience for YOU, so you don’t have to physically go down to the office to provide ID.
The people to chastise over this is the people you elected, not Comcast.
I work for a small telecommunications company in the Great Lakes area.
New FTC regulations (also FCC) are going into effect starting 11/1/08 that require telecommunications companies to verify the identity of the customer, we will require a photo ID and one other form of ID. All is in the name of Identity theft protection. We have to have a written policy that addresses a number of specif areas and revise the policy periodically. It will cost us a few hundred thousand dollars to comply and we are very small, it will be millions for a company like Comcast or Charter to do this.
This isn’t something our company wants to do, we have been a home-town company that knows our customers on sight rather than a big monolith like Comcast, but we have to abide by the rules just like they do. Most large carriers have started to implement the policy earlier to prevent lapses and get all agents up to speed.
I would love to say that they guys are jerks and scoundrels for doing this, but the truth is that they are following the laws of the land. Certainly not the Patriot Act but still FTC/FCC regs. none the less.
Hey there Ryan,
Unlike some of the other folks posting on here, I’m not disagreeing or agreeing with you on this matter, I’ll go with both =).
I agree, if you are not comfortable giving out your social security number, then absolutely don’t. If you ever have any question of legitimacy no matter how you are communicating with someone then yes always second guess the company.
In aspect to the Patriot Act, even if there is no actual citation stating that communication company’s are “required” to obtain a social security number, a rule in comcast could have arose from the Patriot Act’s approval, I don’t know this for a FACT, but it is possible. If you go in detail to what CSR Carol had stated, if you set up an order ON LINE, a SSN number is required, or you can show a photo ID at the local office. If you were to call 1-800-266-2278 (1-800-COMCAST) to set up the order, it would be a different story. You would still be required to show a photo ID, just not at the local office. When the technician came for the install he would still require to see some identification.
Granted it may seem like it is a hassle, but a few other things come into play as well, where they would NEED your SSN, or you would need to pay quite abit more. Obviously not pertaining to your scenario, but still. If getting their CDV (Digital Voice) Service they would require a SSN to run a credit check, if the credit check is failed, then a 50$ deposit must be placed on the account. For DVR it is the same scenario, but with a 100$ deposit. This can be bypassed (on the phone) by not applying your SSN and agreeing to pay the deposits at that time.
200$ EMTA= 50$ deposit
500$ DVR= 100$ deposit
More along the lines of what your asking, back in the day we would not have been required to provide this information, but how badly has our economy changed? Lets say your name was Ryan Smith. If I were to call comcast, I could tell them my name was Ryan Smith, they would open me service in your name, and without a SSN or photo ID there would be no way to verify who I really was! So yes it may seem difficult, and we may not have needed to do these things before, but they are precautions to help both us, their consumers, as well as themselves so they dont get screwed out of hundreds maybe thousands of dollars.
My suggestion, call them instead if you aren’t comfortable giving out your SSN, but if your trying to get a DVR with your cable then be prepared to pay a little more for not supplying the information. And don’t be shocked and awed when the technician asks you for an ID, it’s for your own protection.
PS: (Got this one from Comcast.net)
How to contact the Comcast Legal Response Center:
The Comcast Legal Response Center is the company’s point of contact for assisting Law Enforcement Agencies and parties to civil litigation with legal requests and emergency release of subscriber information for Comcast High Speed Internet, Comcast Digital Voice, Comcast Digital Phone, and Comcast Cable television. Comcast processes all requests in strict compliance with applicable laws, regulations, policies, and terms of service.
Comcast High Speed Internet
650 Centerton Road
Moorestown, NJ 08057
Normal business hours (M-F, 8:30 am to 5:00 pm EST)
856-317-7272 Option 1
Law Enforcement Fax (24 hour operation)
856-317-7319
Comcast Digital Voice, Comcast Digital Phone, and Comcast Cable Television
5800 S Quebec Street
Greenwood Village, CO 80111
Normal business hours (M-F, 8:00 am to 5:00 pm MST)
800-871-6298
Law Enforcement Fax (24 hour operation)
720-267-2794
I always ask them to prove to me that they have a written policy in place to protect me in case I’m a victim of Identity Theft due to their negligence.
This is one of my Top 3 Peeves. I hate it when some dumb ass tries to give me some canned response why they have to have my SSN.
I also always object to giving it over the phone because anyone could be sitting on a phone pole with a butt set or be intercepting IP packets and be listening to calls. I know it’s low probability, but it’s still not a reason to risk it.
I’ve been objecting to this practice for over 10 years and let me tell you 10 years ago people looked at you like you had 2 heads when you launched into an ID Theft diatribe. Even with all the press the issue gets now, people still seem clueless when you object and mention ID Theft as the reason.
Your SSN is going to be the most accurate way of identifying you when establishing new service. While it’s not mandated by the Patriot Act (this particular chat rep is just an idiot), it is required by every single service provider in the US for anything BUT cable TV service. Because you can’t use your TV to commit fraud. Internet and phone services, however, always require a SSN, that way if the provider is subpoenaed, they can route it back to the person using the service to commit the illegal acts.
It’s standard practice in tech support and customer service for all providers. Ryan is just a jackass and acts like he knows the company policy or something. He’s also full of it if he never showed his ID when establishing internet service. He probably showed a state ID or driver’s license or something. Either that, or he established service many many years ago when the internet was still brand spanking new, and this wasn’t a requirement.
Has nothing to do with the Patriot Act, it has to do with consumer credit.
Phone companies and cable companies are essentially extending you credit with the service. You’re agreeing to pay for any extraneous costs (i.e. Pay Per View, text messaging overages, etc.) that you may incur in addition to the regular monthly service fee.
This is why they ask for your SSN. The Comcast rep was just being a douchebag.
I am highly inclined to believe this is a fake transcript. While Comcast actually does own the comcastsupport.com domain name, it actually forwards to help.comcast.net. There is no way a chat window could possibly have been launched from that url. Also, notice the “agent” has very poor spelling. While most tech support is based overseas, much of their responses are copy-paste type ones that have perfect spelling and grammar. It was a nice try but I want the past 5 minutes back of the wasted time I spent looking at this article.
What’s the big deal? Just give out your prison I.D. number and stfu! Do you have something to hide? It’s not like the coroporations and the government have become the same entity and you are being tracked and traced in every purchase and business venture you make anywhere in the world. It’s really weird to refuse to give out personally identifiable information linked to your credit, income, and personal background. Only some kind of crazy right-wing paranoid nutcase or someone who gets off on being difficult would refuse to provide their social to ANYONE who asks.. Grow up..
/sarcasm