Being Dead Ruins Your Life

A Nashville, Tennessee, woman says that having to prove she’s alive over and over is ruining her life. The very much alive Laura Todd is having a frustrating time trying to prove that she is not dead.

It seems that another woman died in Florida eight years ago, and someone entered Laura's Social Security Number into the death record. The assumption is that it was a simple clerical error. Laura Todd has had problems ever since.

When Todd tried to refinance her house in 2002, the bank called and said, ‘Your credit report says you're dead.’" She straightened that incident out, but in 2006 the Internal Revenue Service refused to process her return. "The IRS says I’m dead. Everybody says I'm dead,” she said.

Laura Todd also said her bank closed her credit card account and attached a note of sympathy: “Please accept our condolences on the death of Laura Todd.”

Both the IRS and the Social Security Administration say they have since updated their records. Todd said she will try to file her tax return again and see if the problem has really been fixed.

Quoting Monty Python: "I'm not dead yet."

This story came from Nashville's WSMV-TV

Comments

[HJ]

I am one genealogist who has used the Social Security Death Index websites to find information on deceased relatives. However this is one example of why the Social Security Administration should wait a long time before releasing the information to the public. I had not been able to convert all of our financial holdings from my deceased husband's social security number into mine before his information, including birth date,death date and SS#, was on the internet for all to see. I know of someone who had her identity stolen just after becoming a widow. Whether it was a co-incidence or not, I think the Social Security Administration does all of us a disservice in this regards. Their theory that a dead person has no rights is cruel. Perhaps they could release the information without the social security number.

[dennis gries]

I sympathize with Laura.

Tried to be proactive, and called in my aunt Anita Silban's death one day after she died in December 2006 to try to cutoff her January 2007 benefit check.

The clerk entered Oct (or 10) 18 2006 instead of Dec (or 12) 18 2006. A year later the chaos of this still is not fully corrected. Claims were denied because she was dead before her final illness.

I went to my local Social Security office about a month after the death, and they assured me that all was taken care of the moment the local clerk entered the correct info. Not the case. Check out the name and date on the SSDI. Check out the post-em note on Rootsweb.

[Patsy.S]

I am dealing with being deceased right now. I was travelling for 4 months and asked the post office to forward all mail to my daughter. Instead of forwarding as requested, the third month in January, the PO marked some of my mail... unable to forward, vacant, return to sender, hold for 10 days then discard (ads, mags, etc). This sent back to sender the bills, info for tax filing, etc. I discovered this when I asked to have fast internet installed at my home. I was refused the installation because I did not qualify (dead). Went to put $ in my checking account and take care of a due cd. Could not do it until I proved I was not dead. I almost lost my medical insurances and still waiting for fallout from IRS and Medicare, credit bureaus, late charges, etc. Spoke to the delivery supervisor and forwarding info was in their computer, even the phone number where I could be reached. I had even called the PO several times to continue forwarding and they put a hold on my mail, then returned it. The answers I get from all is the way my mail was marked when It was returned. Now waiting for a letter from the supervisor so I can give it to any others I have problems with. Think the PO will apologize? Lots of fun!! Beware, it can happen to you.

[Burton B Haviland]

My wife died. I closed her accounts. One of my accounts was closed by DSRM Bank because they found Equifax had listed me deceased. Now that account lists the account closed, account holder deceased. Neither DSRM Bank nor Equifax seem to be able to correct the information. So far there haven't been other problems but I am worried.

[Brittany]

My mom died in 2006. Ever since then I've had nothing but trouble, with two of the three credit agencies listing me as deceased (we had a joint credit card). I've had accounts closed, and been denied for credit numerous times, even though my credit score is "excellent". And trying to fix this problem? IMPOSSIBLE.

[Lincoln]

I recently applied for two different apartments, one credit angency reported my credit fine that they would rent to me. The other angency denied me because I am deceased. I am going to try the third agency to try to straighten out this problem.