I've read that sometimes employers or banks can trace back the information on your social security card and find out what names were previously used on your card. I never had a job before or a bank account and I've already legally changed my name and have a new card. Would I still be able to get outed? I'm not sure if I have to get a new number or what. I'm worried. Has anyone had problems with this?

If you search the Internet for "Social Security Number Trace" you can learn more about this process. Basically various data collection agencies, based from records like credit/job applications, etc. where your name, address, and SSN are mentioned together, enable with a person's SSN to find other addresses or names that have been reported and associated with the number so they can use that information to more thoroughly search your background. It is not an actual search of the Social Security Administration's database (only authorized agencies can do that).

If your SSN is the same as before (which unless you went through an arduous process to get it changed is the case), then such a trace may very well show your prior name depending on what age your name was changed* and how long ago it was.

*A former name that was changed before you'd have any work/credit/other "adult" records probably won't show up (and if it does that's a sign of identity theft from when you were a child); same thing if you immigrated to the U.S. and your name was changed beforehand. Speaking of which, if they do see an opposite-gender name that was used, they may well assume that it wasn't you being TS but rather your information was mixed up with that of a relative or other person (these traces are far from being error-free - a mistake in the aforementioned name/address/SSN combination on an applicable form or a data entry error can result in other people's information being crossed with yours or vice-versa, as well as when someone else is trying to illegally use parts of your identity).

To get an idea of what I'm talking about, you can search (don't pay for anything, just use whatever searching you can do for free) at sites like intelius.com or peoplefinders.com - the "aliases" and former places of residence (if any) they'd list are compiled in the same (or a similar) way.

tgchar21 is right about what the trace is, but you also need to keep in mind that a background check is more likely dig up your past, depending on who the employer is and how thoroughly they check. I wouldn't really worry about it myself. Most people don't automatically assume a name change = transgender.

Credit reporting agencies also go by SSN and will list "other names used" on credit reports. That said, it's not legally binding and they seem pretty sloppy - my wife and I have both had strange names crop up on ours. So in any situation where you wouldn't be in legal trouble for doing so, you could simply claim it was an error that the credit agencies refused to correct (they're notorious for that).

Basically, the downside of the information age is that no data really dies... the upside is that all the data comes in a giant, mixed-up, error-riddled flood that nobody fully trusts!

Quote from: Jenna Marie on May 21, 2014, 10:14:15 AM
Credit reporting agencies also go by SSN and will list "other names used" on credit reports. That said, it's not legally binding and they seem pretty sloppy - my wife and I have both had strange names crop up on ours. So in any situation where you wouldn't be in legal trouble for doing so, you could simply claim it was an error that the credit agencies refused to correct (they're notorious for that).

Yes, basically what I said in my PP to this thread applies to credit reports as well - namely in that any names and/or addresses associated with your SSN that were used in a prior credit application process will likely appear (and unless one of the points from the first sentence in the third paragraph of that post applies to you it'll be difficult-to-impossible to get them removed).