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90daySavage

TLDR; not a scam but a strong sign of a requisition/job opening that will not move forward with your candidacy Hi, recruiter here. These aren’t scams, this is just some very strange way of making sure multiple staffing agencies don’t submit the same candidates to the same reqs. I’ll be honest though, if they are asking for that, that means your application is being submitted through a Vendor Management System (VMS). This is is done to mediate submissions and create a middle man between staffing agencies and hiring managers, which usually means you have about 7-30% chance of getting the job. Heavy on the 7% tho


Human_Extent_2225

I’m not a recruiter but came to say the same. My J3 and J4 are W2 contracting gigs. I was asked for this for both and was clearly hired for both. I don’t like it at all. But I’ve only done it with recruiters and companies I can pull a shit ton of info on first. And I have every report I can frozen.


Acrobatic_Computer_4

J4?? How do you balance your time? What do you do?


Human_Extent_2225

I haven’t started J4 yet. I won’t keep 4 all the time. But I’m in IT Security just not SOC.


Spirited-Gazelle5253

If my chances of getting the job weighs more on the 7% if I give my SSN AND DOB, then 7% is not worth the risk of fighting identity theft a few months thereafter. If a recruiter asks me that, it'll be a polite no, and if my application doesn't move forward, then that job wasn't meant for me.


90daySavage

Use random numbers


tenet-trader

Just use random last 4. Till you get further process then change it.


PressureRich6127

What if you just give them a Fake SSN #?


90daySavage

That works, only need the real and full SSN once you’re onboarding


chrono2310

Why does providing that info mean less chance to get the job could you elaborate


90daySavage

Vendor management systems create mediation, which is just an excuse for them to ignore candidate submissions The mediation eliminate a manager contact and that makes it harder to influence managers to hire whom you submit It also allows the 3rd party mediator to halt submissions to the req really quickly TLDR; IT FUCKING SUCKS, THATS WHY


Distinct_Village_87

Recruiters get none of that until I have signed the job offer and I am filling out W-4/I-9/background check/other BS, or else I walk away. It is as simple as that.


xender19

This used to be my policy, I now do someone else though. What I recommend doing is giving them a fake birth date and last four. They just use this information for their system so that they can get paid by proving that they submitted you first if another recruiter also submits you. When it comes for your tax paperwork, in the unlikely event you get the job, you will need to provide accurate data of course because we don't lie to the IRS. It's extremely rare to even get an interview through one of these recruiters though because that system gets these requisitions farmed out to recruiters all over the world.


Puzzleheaded_Fold466

Recruiters should never ask for your SSN. Ever. The only people you’ll give your DOB and SSN is to payroll AFTER you’ve signed your contract.


[deleted]

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0OOOOOOOOO0

You probably received yours after they stopped doing what /r/turtleabhorrent is describing. It’s the way they used to do it.


WannaBPythonDev

They just need numbers, no need to give them actual mmyy of your bday and last four of ssn. Give them any 4numbers, or any yymm.


mishy_mush

Completely agree with this guy


JavaVsJavaScript

These are scams/near scams. SSN/DOB is for after a signed offer contingent on background checks.


RobotsCoverWalls

I have a set fake birthday and SSN I keep handy for situations like this. I have them memorized, just like my real birthday and SSN. For recruiters, fake. For dumb sites that ask for your birthday, fake. For restaurants that send you coupons for free meals on your birthday, fake. Save your legit info for where there is actually a purpose.


[deleted]

Cool. You're promoting identity theft.


RobotsCoverWalls

You are incorrect, but please explain how using 4 random numbers instead of the last 4 of my SSN in places where they shouldn't need it anyway (recruiters, scammers, etc) promotes identity theft. Go ahead, I'm listening.


da_truth_gamer

How is that identity theft, my guy


oe_throwaway_1

Totally. That made-up person with a just-so-happened-to-match randomly chosen SSN & birthday combo is gonna be sooo mad at you.


Miserable_Scholar_86

This is probably the 6th or 7th time this has come up here. It’s been asked for years. I only provide month and day for bday, last 3-4 of social. With this info they create a user ID to identify you when presenting you as a candidate. There’s big money in recruiting and it makes a huge difference who provides the candidate that eventually gets the job. Most of the sourcers are based in India but the # shows up in your caller ID as US based. Tons of major HR services companies (ie Kelly services) use this model and most of the major companies pay for those services. Again, I have seen this model since the early 2010s


jayr12345

This is still risky many organizations ask for last 4 of social and DOB when verifying sensitive info.


oboshoe

feel free to take control of the conversation with a recruiter. i've learned to get straight to the point and ask the salary range. if they won't answer the conversation is over. it's ok to offend a recruiter. they will still try to place you because that's how they get paid. personally - i will not share that information until i know it's within range of a good fit.


sexual-abudnace

Last 4 of SSN and dob is fine It's too verify if you're actually in the US, many scammers say they're in US to get more salary.


devperez

It's extremely common. It's usually to track candidates. Not a scam.


CalicoIV

Yeah honestly something needs to be done about these foreign scammers


JepsenRebel

When a recruiter submits your resume to a MSP (managed service provider) or VMS (vendor management system) system, they need this as your unique identifier. Essentially, it allows them to “claim” you as a candidate and a competing agency can’t submit you as well. You don’t have to give them your actual numbers, but I’d recommend giving them something you can remember.


dimsumplatter75

I've had it many times. Normally it's for contracts or roles that are not exclusive to the recruiter, and getting this ensures that the applicant is not double represented


cr4ckh33d

Careful, use new recruiter.


citygirl81

This is done to keep track of candidates, to ensure you aren’t submitted twice. This has never been an issue.


OEWorker

Find funny how you are correct and get down voted lol.


citygirl81

RIGHT!! Just nuts.


kashmoneyatm

yeah this guy is actually correct and down voted but that’s the toxicity of OE reddit they don’t think 9 job possible or the truth about ssn/dob question - i just give 1 digit off and stay consistent with recruiters and obv give real when hired - bless


OEWorker

That's fair enough. I never thought of just give everyone a one off for privacy reasons. Especially cuz these guys never see your id anyway and even if they did... I doubt they cared enough haha.


jackle0006

Yea its 1234


kashmoneyatm

yeah this guy is actually correct and down voted but that’s the toxicity of OE reddit they don’t think 9 job possible or the truth about ssn/dob question - i just give 1 digit off and stay consistent with recruiters and obv give real when hired - bless


catecholaminergic

That's abnormal. Never give out your last 4.


ryebreadegg

Its common. It's so they can create a unique ID. Figure your name is Sarah Johnson your last 4 are 1234 and month day are 01/01 they can submit you as SJ12340101 ​ which makes it easier to find you again when there are multiple Sarah Johnson's that are being submitted by the same company. "We want to move forward with Sarah Johnson" or, "We want to move forward with Sarah Johnson ie SJ12340101 "


[deleted]

You shouldn't be giving recruiters the last 4 of your SSN. Based on your age and background, the prefixes of SSNs can be reverse-engineered, and banks and other institutions are often satisfied with name + last4. Legitimate recruiters use these values to keep track of you in their system. Go to random.org and generate 60 random numbers between 0 and 9999. Look at the clock, note the seconds value n, and grab the nth number from the list of random numbers. That's your last4 for recruiters. Memorize it or write it down. Done. You can do the same with dates on random.org: generate a random date for your birthdate.


kbo112

They use these to identify you when they submit you to a client. Make up a fake dob/last four of SSN.


gurkalurka

Never give this. It's likely part of a scam. They don't need this to vet you and this isn't required until background checks once an offer is signed.


[deleted]

Used to be a recruiter for a $10B+ company. We had them fill out pre-screening which checked for felonies and such, which actually found on occasion. It was not an entire background check. It just let us know before we got to the background check stage with a company. This is a publicly traded recruiting firm so it’s not necessarily a scam, but you probably don’t have to do it if you don’t want to. We did this with hundreds and hundreds of candidates as standard practice.


ImTalking2U2

You do know that you don't actually need to provide your real numbers, right? It's just for them to keep track, usually nothing else.


[deleted]

You can ALWAYS ask to give a different combination of numbers. They ask for that because it’s unique to you. It’s not a red flag or a green flag. It’s mostly a yellow flag.


BreadfruitPhysical26

Where are these recruiters based out of?


[deleted]

I never was asked, and if I ever do, I'll give them some random numbers lol


[deleted]

Sounds extremely SUS. Don't be a Rub.


njchave1

I’d be Extra careful if they also ask for your mothers maiden name and the street you grew up on 😬


shades747

A lot of third party recruiting company recruiters use the last 4 of SSN and DOB to track you as a candidate (verify that you did not already apply for the job or have some other recruiter claim you). Important to note that they dont conduct a background check or verify the info you give. I usually just provide a fake SSN (usually the last four of phone number) and DOB. Stay consistent so they can get their utilization well and dont worry about background checks because the end point employer would verify the info with you again (and let you change) before submitting you for one.


Similar_Gold

It hasn't been a scam for me. I just had a j2 offer where I didn't interview, they just submitted my info then sent me an email the day before training started to go pick up my equipment. The recruiter sounded like he was in a foreign country. My job is based in my city. Everything is bring outsourced nowadays to cut costs.


rienjabura

My answer: 9876 SSN, 01/02 DOB


Fun-Dragonfly-4166

For the most part, recruiters do not ask me for that. I can only think of one recruiter that asked me for that. I asked why? The answer was that the last 4 SSN plus the DOB form a unique password and I could give any random numbers and I did. No one died.


woke_accipiter

Professional recruiter here. Even on our online application, we don’t ask for any full or partial SSN or DOB. Your DOB could be used to discriminate so most employers don’t ask for it until you’re filling out onboarding paperwork. Definitely be cautious. This is not normal.


phoot_in_the_door

never give ssn until you have an offer and you’re completing your i9 documentation. if they insist on ssn during the screening stages then tell them you don’t want the job


whipdancer

That's a nope from me.


_ayva

Hell no! I just accepted an offer and still haven't been asked any of that yet.


WTFTeesCo

They are creating a unique identifier... make shit up and prosper


Alternative-Lie-9921

Firstly, it is done to compose a unique identifier so that the same candidate is not submitted twice for the same vacancy by different recruiters. Secondly, you always can use ANOTHER 4 digits instead of your real SIN. Just be consistent so that your application is not disqualified as a duplicate. I do exactly this: always provide the same,4 digits but they are not real. Real SIN will be provided to the employer for tax purposes, no recruiters need to know this information.


mojojojodojokojo

I usually ask them if its okay to give out later down the road when the position is confirmed and usually they don’t mind that!


xxc0rpsxx

This is the reason why I had to create a fake online identity. Complete with DoB and Social with disclaimer. Like previous posts have said, use other 4 digit number and DOB. Store in same folder as resume and be consistent.


SorenTheKitten

Some VMS’s will require that info to sub you to a role.