To reduce fraud, the Social Security Administration will impose tighter identity-proofing measures. They will require millions of recipients and applicants to visit agency field offices rather than interact with the agency over the phone.
That might significantly help with the people in foreign countries who collect from the SSA gravy train.
Beginning March 31st, people can no longer verify their identity to the SSA over the phone. Those who cannot adequately verify their identity over the agency’s “My Social Security” online service will be required to visit an agency field office in person to complete the verification process.
The change will apply to new Social Security applicants and existing recipients who want to change their direct deposit information.
Retiree advocates warn that the change will negatively impact older Americans in rural areas, including those with disabilities, mobility limitations, and those who live far from SSA offices and have limited internet access.
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“Retiree advocates warn that the change will negatively impact older Americans in rural areas, including those with disabilities, mobility limitations, and those who live far from SSA offices and have limited internet access.”
If they have limited internet access, they can’t use the SSA website anyway.
Retirees want government efficiency and most hate cheaters. We are real people and we would appreciate a reasonable means of verifying such. For what it is worth, within 1 hour of my wife’s death, he death was reported to SSA. Nether of us would ever cheat the system.
It would be far more cost effective to send a Social Security agent to each recipient’s home for a one-time identity verification exercise than to continue paying benefits to millions who are either dead, have never existed or are not entitled to benefits.
Very true. Of course I live 13 hours from the US consulate in Sydney….
My costs in getting to a current check-in location could be 25% of my annual benefit. As usual, cheaters take not only from all tax payers, but cause new rules that damage those of us who are most vulnerable. Then we could talk about what Biden inflation has done to us…