You won’t believe what hackers can do with your SSN

You probably know how important it is to safeguard and protect your Social Security number. Still, you might be amazed and appalled by the many ways a scammer can fraudulently use your SSN.

"The important thing for people to understand is that once someone has your Social Security number, particularly in combination with your name and address, they can do pretty much anything that requires your SSN," said Brian Focht, an attorney with Stiles, Byrum & Horne, LLP in Charlotte, N.C., who specializes in cybersecurity and privacy law.

Read on to find out some of the awful — but very real — things that might happen if your SSN gets stolen, and learn how to prevent or deal with these worst-case scenarios:

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