Yes they may deny you their services if you don't comply but there's no reason for you to choose establishments that force you to compromise your security and cause you to be vulnerable to identity theft. Your best protection against identity theft is caution and knowledge. Know your rights. Know the rules and regulations that are out there that should protect you and keep abreast of the dos and don'ts of giving away sensitive information like your social security number. Online theft may act individually, or could be manipulated by a group in one single website name. Survey consortium in the U. S. have developed means to coordinate with the FTC (Federal Trade Commissions) in order to establish a complete record of crime complaints in online deceptions, that starts with scam messages. Prompt Actions Against Identity Thieves Identity Theft soars high in crime reports at the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTI) and other government bureaucracies; credit report agencies, Forensic Accounting firms, investigators, and other private consortiums to protect victims. Any holder of information identifiers of social security number, credit cards, bank account number, driver s license, health care, and other financial sources is at risk. One of the best way you can do to protect yourself from identity number theft is to avoid providing personal information from individual you talk to, especially to strangers. Giving personal information to people you do not know can have very disastrous consequences for you. 2. If you are in a public place, be very discreet about the financial events happening in your life. They can take out a loan under your name and even get new identification cards with your name but with their picture. They can also go as far as using your name to the police if they get arrested. And in case they do not show up in court during the legal proceedings, a warrant of arrest can be issued on your name and sent to your home for a crime that you have no idea about. Other identity numbers, such as specialized ATM s, Credit Cards, Master Cards, issued for high end use, and benefits with high potential credibility, are approved and released on strict and stiff screening process that allow the individual, to use on international travel and expense abroad, instead of carrying cash bulk, or money transfers that entail more time and effort.