The Social Security Administration (SSA) has 6.5 million Social Security numbers on file for people over 112 years old many of which are now being used by illegal immigrants to game the Social Security system.
The best estimate is that there are only 35 people in the whole world who are 112 years old or older yet SSA maintains this massive list of active numbers.
“One SSN appeared on 613 different suspended wage reports, and 194 additional SSNs appeared on at least 50 suspended wage reports that SSA received during this 6-year period,” the OIG said. “Individuals can commit various types of fraud against the government by reporting earnings under deceased individuals’ SSNs.”
As of September 2014, the SSA was still issuing benefit payments to 266 people who were using a SSN that said they were born before June 16, 1901.
“However, in only 13 cases was it likely the beneficiary was actually age 112 or older,” the OIG said. “In the remaining 253 cases, discrepancies in SSA records indicated the beneficiary receiving payments was not born before June 16, 1901.”
Despite this widespread and obvious fraud, federal officials are doing little to stop this theft from the Social Security Trust Fund.
The OIG found three other cases where illegal immigrants were using numbers that belonged to dead people.
“OI confirmed that illegal aliens were using deceased numberholders’ names and SSNs to work, but U.S. Attorneys in Arizona, Florida, and South Carolina declined prosecution,” the report said.
If only the SSA made it as easy for seniors to claim their rightful benefits as they apparently make it for illegal immigrants to game the system.
