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<tr><td><b>Comment Number: </b></td><td>531096-00246</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Received: </b></td><td>9/4/2007 6:22:01 PM</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Organization: </b></td><td></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Commenter: </b></td><td>Gordon Schmidt</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>State: </b></td><td>CA</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Agency: </b></td><td>Federal Trade Commission</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rule: </b></td><td>Private Sector Use of SSNs</td></tr>

<tr><td>No Attachments</td></tr></Table>

<hr><P><b>Comments:</b></p>As a state-licensed private investigator, myself and the ten people in my employ must abide by all existing laws. Laws which already include numerous safeguards to individual privacy -- or suffer the severe consequences of being in violation. We desperately need continued, regulated access to SSNs in order to do our jobs as fraud investigators, pre-employment background researchers, and in the skip-tracing of persons who have reneged on debt to others. It is no exaggeration to say that the primary benefactors of any bid to further restrict (or eliminate) our access to SSNs, will be the sex offenders, con artists, deadbeats, and other serious felons in our midst.  There is NO OTHER SUITABLE IDENTIFIER than the SSN for conducting our investigations. Our industry must handle the enormous investigative load which law enforcement and the courts can not.  Thank you.</body></html>