‘Telephone remains a viable option to the public,’ said the SSA.
The Social Security Administration (SSA) has announced the implementation of enhanced fraud prevention tools that will enable the agency to handle claims filed over the telephone.
The new system will launch on April 14 and should be capable of handling all claims, the agency said in an April 12 press release.
The new technology deployed by the SSA helps in analyzing patterns and anomalies in an individual’s account when assessing phone-based claims. If irregularities are detected, the claimant will be asked to physically visit the SSA office for verification.
“We are modernizing how we serve the public—enhancing both security and accessibility,” said Leland Dudek, acting commissioner of Social Security.
The SSA noted that agency improvements were made possible, at least in part, by the return of employees to full-time in-office operations. For modernizing telephone services nationwide, the agency has spent $16.5 million, according to its statement.
On April 8, the SSA said in a post on social media platform X, “Beginning on April 14, #SocialSecurity will perform an anti-fraud check on all claims filed over the telephone and flag claims that have fraud risk indicators.”
“We will continue to conduct 100 percent ID proofing for all in-person claims. 4.5 million telephone claims a year and 70K may be flagged. Telephone remains a viable option to the public.”
The stress on identity verification comes amid reports that the agency maybe have been paying out fraudulent benefits to people reportedly aged 100 and above.
In early March, President Donald Trump raised the issue in his address to Congress.
Trump said “shocking levels of incompetence and probable fraud in the social security program for our seniors” were identified.
The president said that government databases listed 3.47 million Social Security members aged 120 to 129 years old, 3.5 million people aged 140 to 149, and more than 130,000 people over 160 years old.
“A lot of money is paid out to people because it just keeps getting paid and paid, and nobody does [anything]. And it really hurts social security and hurts our country,” he said.
