The Social Security Death Index is a great resource for genealogists. It can be used to validate the research that a genealogist has already completed. Unfortunately, there are thieves who are using this same database to commit tax fraud and identify theft.
The Death Master File is a database that was created in 1980. It contains the names, birth dates, and Social Security numbers of more than 90 million deceased Americans. It became accessible under the Freedom of Information Act because businesses in the United States wanted to use it as a tool against identity theft.
The Social Security Death Index is updated weekly, so that new information can be added to it in a timely fashion. Mistakes have been made. An investigation done by Scripps Howard found that 14,000 Americans who were still alive had been added to the Social Security Death Index. This group will have problems when they apply for a job, or a credit card, or a mortgage.
Genealogy websites, including FamilySearch.org, include information from records that they received from the Social Security Administration. They are able to get it through a subscription service, just like banks, credit unions, and credit bureaus are able to do. These records must be posted in their entirety, if they are posted at all.
Genealogists sometimes use the Death Index to help verify the information that their research has given them about a particular ancestor. The database is a good resource for genealogists to use, and this is probably why some genealogy websites include information from the Social Security Death Index.
Unfortunately, the ease of accessibility of the information on the Death Index means that there is the potential for thieves to use it for nefarious reasons. Many of them have used it to commit identity theft or tax fraud.
There are people who are searching through the Social Security Death Index in order to locate the names and Social Security numbers of recently deceased children, as well as other personal information about the child. The crook then files a claim with Social Security, and claims that child as their own dependent. The result is that the tax refund that should have gone to the deceased child’s parents end up going to a criminal, instead.
When this happens, it generally goes unnoticed by the true parents of that child. Eventually, the time of year rolls around when Americans need to file their taxes. This is often the first time the parents of a deceased child learn that some horrible person has intentionally put in the effort required to make a profit of their child’s death. They get informed that someone else has already claimed that child as a dependent, (and received the tax refund that should have gone to the parents).
Image by Ken Teegardin on Flickr