The Social Security Administration partially walks back identity verification changes, implements new fraud checks

The Social Security Administration will continue to accept benefit claims over the phone, the federal agency announced on X. 

According to the post on the social media platform, those making claims will only need to go into a Social Security Administration office to have a staff member verify their ID if they’re flagged for fraud risk by the agency’s new fraud detection system. 

“Telephone remains a viable option to the public,” the agency wrote in a separate X post.

However, starting Monday, April 14, the agency requires that changes to direct deposit be made in person at an agency office, according to the agency’s statement to CNBC. Direct deposit changes cannot be made over the phone as they require in-person ID verification.

Cumberland County beneficiaries can visit Fayetteville’s agency office located at 145 Rowan St. in downtown Fayetteville if they are flagged for fraud or need to change their direct deposit.

The agency’s new identity verification requirements are a partial reversal of the agency’s policy announced last month. The policy would have required beneficiaries making claims and changes to direct deposit to verify their identity online through a “my Social Security account” or in person. 

The initial and current policy changes are part of the Social Security Administration’s efforts to crack down on alleged fraud. The agency said about 70,000 of its 4.5 million telephone claims, representing about 1.5% of claims, are flagged for fraud each year. 

An internal agency memo reviewed by The Washington Post claimed that the new fraud detection system could cause “false-positive flagging of legitimate teleclaims.” However, the memo states the system is less disruptive than “sending 40,000-plus teleclaims customers to field offices per week for in-person identity proofing.”

The in-person or online identity verification requirement would have come amidst the closure of Social Security Administration offices across the country, including in North Carolina. The News & Observer reported that the Department of Government Efficiency, a nongovernmental organization commonly called DOGE and run by billionaire Elon Musk, planned to close four offices in Greenville, Elizabeth City, Roanoke Rapids and Franklin. 

As of April 11, the DOGE website only shows the termination of the lease for the Social Security Administration office in Roanoke Rapids.

The Centers for Budget and Policy said the agency’s initial in-person requirements would have harmed social security beneficiaries, primarily the elderly and those with disabilities. The nonpartisan research institute found that 42.4% of North Carolina’s seniors live at least 23.3 miles round-trip from the nearest Social Security field office. 

A round-trip to the Fayetteville office is about 20 miles from Spring Lake, about 18 miles from Hope Mills, almost 22 miles from Cedar Creek and close to 24 miles from Stedman.

Social Security Administration offices would have been further strained with the influx of beneficiaries making in-person claims, particularly as almost 2,000 workers nationally took the agency’s latest buyout offers, according to AARP. A 2024 audit by the U.S. Office of Inspector General found beneficiaries waited an average of 32 to 45 minutes to receive services once they checked in for a walk-in appointment at a Social Security office. 

More information on the Social Security Administration’s identity verification policies can be found on its website. Residents can also contact the Fayetteville office at 1-866-964-6485.

CityView Reporter Morgan Casey is a corps member with Report for America, a national service program that places journalists into local newsrooms. Morgan’s reporting focuses on health care issues in and around Cumberland County and can be supported through the News Foundation of Greater Fayetteville.