#1 is the real deal. Just like you don't give private info to any caller you aren't expecting. You call them back at a number you know.

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glial 4 days ago | parent [-]

I had someone from a bank call me and ask for my SSN to confirm my identity. The caller ended up being legitimate, but I still didn't give it...like, are you kidding me?

	▲	RussianCow 4 days ago \| parent \| next [-]
		This has happened to me more times than I can count, and it's extremely frustrating because it teaches people the wrong lesson. The worst part is they often get defensive when you refuse to cooperate, which just makes the whole thing unnecessarily more stressful.
	▲	Muromec 3 days ago \| parent \| prev [-]
		I would be surprised if the database with SSN of all adult americans wasn't out there on the usual data dumps website available for 5 dollars.