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The Social Security Administration has confirmed that starting March 31, individuals seeking benefit claims or direct deposit changes must verify their identity online or in person.
Some shit you should know before you read: If you’re unaware, Elon Musk has claimed that the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has discovered mass fraud within the Social Security system, including allegations that individuals over 130 years old are still collecting benefits. While there is broad bipartisan agreement that fraud exists within Social Security—primarily through identity theft, fraudulent disability claims, and improper payments—some say that Musk’s claims about extremely elderly people receiving benefits may be an overreach. Former SSA officials and lawmakers say their records contain errors, often due to outdated data entry systems, mistaken death reports, or identity mismatches, rather than intentional fraud. Additionally, despite Musk’s claims of widespread fraud, the Department of Justice has not announced any criminal charges related to these allegations, and no official SSA or DOGE report has revealed any fraudulent payments specifically linked to people over 130.
What’s going on now: In an announcement, the Social Security Administration (SSA) confirmed that starting March 31, individuals seeking to claim benefits or change their direct deposit information will no longer be able to verify their identity over the phone and must instead use online authentication or visit an SSA office in person. The agency says the move is aimed at preventing fraud, particularly scams involving identity theft and unauthorized direct deposit changes.
The SSA will also implement the Treasury Department’s Account Verification Service, which provides instant bank verification to prevent fraudulent direct deposit change requests. Additionally, the agency is expediting direct deposit change processing from 30 days to just one business day to reduce the window for potential fraud.
In a statement, Acting SSA Commissioner Lee Dudek said, “For far too long, the agency has used antiquated methods for proving identity. Social Security can better protect Americans while expediting service.”
Officials anticipate that the new identity verification rules will lead to a major surge in in-person visits to SSA field offices, which are already under strain due to staff shortages and planned office closures. According to an internal SSA memo, the agency expects between 75,000 and 85,000 additional people per week to visit offices because they cannot complete the process online—adding up to 4.4 million extra visits per year.
To handle the expected influx, SSA has ordered all frontline employees back to the office full-time to ensure “maximum staffing is available to support the stronger in-person identity proofing requirement.”
