Government records incorrectly kill off thousands, and there’s no easy fix

[dolphin]

“I don’t think people realize how difficult it is to be dead when you’re not,”

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23378093

updated 3:21 p.m. PT, Fri., Feb. 29, 2008
For a dead woman, Laura Todd is awfully articulate.

“I don’t think people realize how difficult it is to be dead when you’re not,” said Todd, who is very much alive and kicking in Nashville, Tenn., even though the federal government has said otherwise for many years.

Todd’s struggle started eight years ago with a typo in government records. The government has reassured her numerous times that it has cleared up the confusion, but the problems keep coming.

Please read this whole story under the 'link' above. I was once declared 'dead' in 1999. I had moved from my hometown, across country, and opened a new bank account with my dh. I was instantly refused due to the fact that "I was dead!" Seems this new bank used a different credit reporting agency than I had used for years. It took almost a year and in=person visits to SS to prove that I was actually alive and it caused many financial problems until that was done.

An illegal alien had crossed the border and settled in Texas. She then 'bought' my social security number as her own. She applied for and received Welfare benefits for many years and then when she died, her family reported her as deceased and since she had used my SS#, my SS# was reported as 'deceased'!!! It happens every day!

Be sure to run your 'free credit reports' every year. I had not applied for any kind of credit or changed banks for over 12 years so it was easy for someone to capture my SS# and use it as their own. By running and checking your credit report atleast once a year, you could head off the disaster that I ran into.

[HandyMom]

Wow. Thanks for that story. Just when I think I am safer not having more than one lil credit card that I seldom use and not applying for any credit, I might be making myself a target for an illegal!

[M55FF]

whew...... thats some story.

With the free yearly credit checks people can do, will be less of that happening.

Thats just really something !!!