The Social Security Administration (SSA) has provided an update on its identity proofing requirements that will change next week.
The official SSA account posted on X, formerly known as Twitter: “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.”
A follow-up post reads: “Individuals that are flagged would be required to perform in-person ID proofing for the claim to be further processed.”
It comes after the SSA announced it would discontinue over-the-phone identification services in an effort to combat fraudulent benefit payments. The most recent press release on the matter, dated March 26, announced that many claimants will no longer be able to verify their identity with the SSA by phone.
This means that starting April 14, beneficiaries—excluding those receiving Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI), Medicare, or Supplemental Security Income (SSI)—who cannot verify their identity using the SSA’s online portal will be required to travel to a field office to complete the process in person.
The SSA has cited increasing identity theft and fraud attempts as key drivers of the change, aiming to protect the integrity of benefits distribution.
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