Social Security fraud. Has anyone ever had this happen to a loved one?

To clarify: was it the bank account number that was changed (someone put in a phony change of where the direct deposit went to) or her social security number?

You also have to contact each credit bureau (3), and put a statement on her credit file fraud has taken place. Normally no one can change a social security number except by Court order or social security. How long had she been under the wrong number? How did she receive social security benefits and Medicare? You have to get this straightened out ASAP. File an emergency conservatorship with your local Probate court. Seek a waiver for the fees. Good luck and my condolences on the loss of your father.

I rec'd a letter from the IRS then called then to find out what they were talking about....as far as here in Florida I have had no luck with follow through just too many for them to handle!

Momsmom, it's my understanding that the IRS DOES NOT call people; it sends a letter. This sounds like a scam to me. There have been news discussions after the recent IRS hack not to talk to anyone who calls, claiming to be from the IRS.

As to the original post, I just remembered that some years ago I did research on ID fraud after a credit card was fraudulently used. I learned that the Michigan State Police was participating in an ID fraud task force.

Anyone suffering from ID fraud might want to contact their local PD, State Police post or Sheriff's office and get information on their knowledge of and/or participation in ID task forces, and whether or not those task forces can be of help to you.

I have had ID theft several times last time a week ago someone took the routing and account numbers off a check and re made new checks totally phony looking but Bank of America cashed them! Also had it with debit card at Christmas but I had the card! They make phony cards now from the number....online purchases, bill pay,skimmer machines etc.. then they swipe it and cancel it to a credit charge rather than debit because they don't know the PIN code. You have to watch your accounts like a hawk. My mom SS checks were re routed into a different account. I called SS had to bring mom there to fill out a fraud case,put a freeze on her account so only I could make changes in person.I called the local Sheriff's dept... they said if you want to make a report you can but to be honest we get about 3,000 a day of these....we can't follow up! SS did an investigation but would tell me nothing a year later. I wanted to know who's account it went into-- a caregivers? the hospital worker, rehab? They all have their info it is on the Medicare card and with a date of birth they are off and running!How many times have I gone to the hospital and my mom's info was on the computer in the hall while the nurse was in the room anyone walking by can see the info....sad state we have now....cheaper and easier to sit at home and buy a "list" of account #'s and sit at home in your PJ's ripping people off rather than getting a normal job! Also check the IRS another scam they use their SS # to file false tax returns for a refund. I received a call from the IRS wanting to know where the $10k check was and why it hadn't been cashed yet....now my mom could really use the$10k but wasn't going there with the IRS I told them she had under minimum to file, she did not file for any money owing to her....again they said it happens all the time!SS will cut another check but takes a few weeks make sure to freeze their account! Sometimes I think we were better off without computers and easy access to all this info!

The bank should do an investigation into the fraudulent account; keep in touch with them so you can find out who's responsible. The bank will likely notify authorities at local and federal level. Ours does.

The bank should also have data on how, when and who changed the account number, w/o authority (which makes me wonder if impersonation was involved as well). Who were the signatories on the legitimate account? Was it both your parents, and was the new account opened coincident with your father's death?

If you haven't already added the fraud alert with the credit reporting companies, do that ASAP. There's a 90 day alert that can be added as well as a longer alert (5 or 7 years, I don't recall which) when actual fraud has occurred.

It wouldn't hurt to get new credit/debit cards as well, just to be on the safe side, as you don't know how someone actually accessed her SS account and changed the number.

We've had some experience with fraud but it's been credit card theft. The provider refused to reveal any information on the fraudster, as the police had advised us would be the case with that particular company. Since we couldn't get any info, including the jurisdiction or where the fraud initiated, we couldn't file a police report. So every 3 months I renew the 90 day fraud alerts.

Sorry this happened - it's so unsettling to realize that someone has been dipping dirty hands into anyone's account.

You may have to do a do-over on her banking to get out from this mess.

If your her DPOA and all this paperwork is correct and if mom is still pretty competent and can "show-dog" for a visit to the bank, what I'd suggest is that mom gets a new bank account at whatever bank you have an existing relationship and account at. You & her go in and get it opened with a small deposit and have it so that you are a signature on the account and with the account as POD (pay on death) to you or whomever will be doing her funeral & burial. So now mom has a totally new bank account and what I'd suggest you do is try to go-online to SSA with your mom to get this new account as her new direct deposit for her SS check.
It will take between 3 - 5 weeks to get her monthly income going into the new account, so make sure you all are good on $ during this "bridge" period of time for her finances. Doing things on-line with SSA will be easier……I've found that dealing with SSA employees in real time at a SSA is fraught with issues and they tend to want to make everybody be a representative payee and have all sorts of compliance and reporting required…...

Also mom probably needs an email address, doing this through gmail as a subset of your own gmail account is probably the simplest way. Really even if you have a regular email account, you want to also have a gmail as another one. You can keep tabs on all things financially "mom" if you use this her gmail address for strictly for her bank accounts, retirement, insurance stuff. If don't use her gmail to surf the net or shop, there should be no issues with being hacked.

All this will be a bit of work, but will make life easier down the road. good luck.

Formymommy, I'd rewrite exactly what Gigi wrote! I am so sorry this happened, and not even sure how you could've prevented it. I have no insight, but know financial fraud is taken very seriously and the jerk WILL pay. I'd go to the website of your state's attorney general office, see what info they offer, then call them. Best of luck, hang in there.

Thanks for sharing about this as a warning to the rest of us. Sorry you have to go through this at a time which already is difficult. God bless.