Yes, you can refuse unless you’re legally required to provide your Social Security number (SSN).
However, there’s also no law preventing businesses from asking for it or refusing you service if you don’t provide it. If a business requests your SSN, you can always speak with a manager or ask if there’s an alternate ID you can provide (such as a driver’s license number).
Others can get your personal information in many ways including
data breaches discarded documents stolen wallets/purses stolen mail phishingWhile you can't always prevent identity theft, you can reduce your risk.
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Stores will often ask you to show your driver’s license (or other government-issued ID) when you return a purchase and then record your information along with information about the returned items to help identify patterns of return fraud or abuse. Read More