7 things you should never paste into ChatGPT

Ranked by consequence rather than likelihood. If you only remember the first three, you have covered most of the real risk.

1. Your Social Security number

What it exposes: credit opened in your name, tax refunds redirected, benefits claimed. Unlike a password it is permanent in practice, and unwinding the damage is measured in months.

The rewrite: there isn’t one, because no financial question requires it. If a prompt seems to need your Social Security number, the prompt is wrong.

2. A one-time code

What it exposes: the account the code was protecting, immediately. These codes exist precisely because everything else has already been guessed or stolen.

The rewrite: none needed—nothing legitimate ever asks for one. Being asked at all is the signal.

3. Passwords, present or past

What it exposes: more than the one account, because most people reuse patterns. An old password is often one increment away from a current one.

The rewrite: ask about the process rather than the credential. “Walk me through how to set up two-factor authentication on a typical bank account.”

4. Account and card numbers

What it exposes: direct access to money, plus the administrative misery of replacing an account attached to a dozen automatic payments.

The rewrite: describe the account by role. “My checking account” or “the card I use for travel” carries every bit of meaning the answer needs.

5. A statement, screenshot or photo of a document

What it exposes: usually several of the items above at once—name, address, account numbers, employer, sometimes dependents. One paste can leak more than a year of individual slips.

The rewrite: describe it and type the figures yourself.

6. A tax return

What it exposes: the most complete single picture of your financial life that exists—income, dependents, employer, address, Social Security number, sometimes your spouse’s too.

The rewrite: ask about the concept, not the document. “Explain in general terms what [line item] on a federal return usually represents.” Anything beyond that belongs with a tax professional, who is also the only one who can actually help.

7. Someone else’s details

What it exposes: a person who never agreed to any of this. Caregiving and family-finance questions are where this happens most, and where it is least noticed.

The rewrite: use roles. “My mother”, “the care facility”, “her insurer”. Our paperwork guide is written entirely this way and loses nothing for it.

For the complete list and the redaction method, see what you should never give an AI tool.

Sources and further reading

1. Federal Trade Commission. “IdentityTheft.gov: report and recover from identity theft” identitytheft.gov Accessed July 27, 2026
2. Social Security Administration. “Protecting your Social Security number and reporting fraud” ssa.gov/scam Accessed July 27, 2026
3. Federal Trade Commission. “Consumer Advice: scams and how to avoid them” consumer.ftc.gov/scams Accessed July 27, 2026 · Guidance is updated regularly; check the current page.

Written and reviewed by Carrie, Handled Money Editorial · Published July 27, 2026 · Last reviewed July 27, 2026. AI tools change quickly; we review this guide as they do.