While many people know that it's possible for crooks to steal their Social Security numbers and use them for
identity theft, the Social Security Administration is now dealing with a new type of crime.
Instead of stealing a Social Security number and using it to open new accounts the old fashioned way, some particularly crafty identity thieves are now contacting the SSA and saying that a current benefits recipient recently changed their bank account, according to a report from the
Tampa Bay Times. The SSA's Office of the Inspector General receives as many as 50 notifications of this type of fraudulent actions per day, and many of them result in a senior missing at least one payment check.
In all, there were 19,000 such complaints made to the SSA last October alone, though that doesn't mean the same number missed out on a payment, as many were caught before the crook was able to get any money, the report said.
Adam Levin, chairman of Identity Theft 911, has a blog about the identity theft dangers consumers face in their everyday lives.
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