If you don't know the social security number of the bond recipient and you are buying a paper savings bond, you may use your own. The social security number printed on the paper savings bond does not establish tax liability or ownership. It is used only to find records if the savings bond is lost, stolen, or destroyed, should the owner not have a record of the serial number.
On paper savings bonds issued or replaced starting August 1, 2006, the first five digits of your Social Security number or Employer Identification number will be masked and replaced with asterisks. This is being done to protect your privacy and to prevent the information from being used for identity theft.
To purchase an electronic savings bond as a gift, the TreasuryDirect account holder needs to know the recipient's full name and social security number and/or taxpayer ID number. The gift bond is placed in the account holder's "Gift Box" until the account holder obtains the TreasuryDirect account number of the recipient and is ready to transfer the bond into the recipient's account. The gift recipient will then receive an e-mail announcing the transfer of the bond.