The Social Security Administration has issued a press release with a headline stating “Correcting the record about direct deposit and telephone services.”
“Recent reports in the media that Social Security plans to eliminate telephone services are inaccurate,” the agency said.
While some posts on social media suggested the change was due to federal workforce reductions, SSA said the change is an effort to increase protection for America’s seniors and other beneficiaries by eliminating the risk of fraud associated with changing bank account information by telephone.
SSA said it continuously investigates and analyzes potential threats to strengthen and secure programs and protect people who receive benefits.
“Approximately 40% of Social Security direct deposit fraud is associated with someone calling SSA to change direct deposit bank information,” SSA said in the release. “SSA’s current protocol of simply asking identifying questions by telephone is no longer enough to prevent fraud.”
How to change bank information
If a recipient needs to change their bank account information on SSA’s record, they will need to either:
Use two-factor authentication with SSA’s “my Social Security” service; or
Visit a local Social Security office to prove their identity.
“These methods align with most major banks,” the agency said. “All other SSA telephone services remain unchanged.”
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