Search of credit bureau files to provide history of the applicant’s names and addresses as they originate from credit headers. This also validates the number’s authenticity, as well as year and place of issuance. It is used as a criterion in checking criminal history. Search may provide last known addresses and aliases, possible date of birth, year and state of Social Security number issuance, covering a seven year period. Young applicants and individuals new to country, who might not have developed a credit history yet, might not have a SSN history. Typographical and /or transposition of numbers at the time a Social Security Number is used by a creditor to initiate a credit inquiry can create errors in the data. Interpretation of data is critical; although the search can uncover evidence of identity theft, fraud must not be assumed without further investigation such as validation directly through the Social Security Administration.