My house address gets a letter today from the IRS but instead of my name, its my father's. Now this is interesting because he has been deceased since 2007 and has never lived at my address. So, I was expecting something like, "your parents didn't file their taxes correctly for 2004, 2005 or some such mush but instead its a notice that my father's identity may have been "stolen" to gain employment. Ok, let's stop a second, doesn't the SS Admin destroy a deceased person's SS # after the estate has gotten SS payments stopped with an official death certificate and got the $250 from SS for the deceased person's burial...? But again, this is the IRS and not the SS Admin and their form letter is addressed to my dad like he's still alive and needs to protect his identity (inform the credit bureaus!!). So, I will call tomorrow and see how many circles I have to turn around in to get the IRS and the SS Admin to confirm that Mr. X Z is indeed dead and to nuke his fricking SS # for the next 50 years so no thieving puke can ever use it. AND maybe somebody for some fed agency go find out where this "X Z" is working and cuff him right there and frog march him out of the place. That would probably be worth watching!!

Seeing as he is deceased, why does it matter if someone uses it?

Search for SS master death file. Interesting and somewhat alarming stuff if you happen to find yourself on that list.

Because that number shouldn't still be attached to his name. I have no problem if they recycle the number eventually. And how his name tied to my address? That address didn't exist when he was alive...

Sorry for your loss but can he still vote?

Because whoever is using it did not acquire it legally and therefore is a criminal.

It just said "may have." I would toss it and not give it another thought. This is the same government that issued a security clearance to me and to my wife and several years later notified us that they had failed to protect the personal information we had supplied as part of the application process. You don't have to give them that much, just EVERYTHING!

I'd say it's still part of the scammer's intel program, if you respond to it they could use further info you give them to do what they need.
Doubt the IRS would be sending letters when its the SS problem, looks like a form letter to garner more information from those who are elderly and don't keep up on the formalities of security with their numbers and identities !

When my Mom passed she was on Medi-Caid and owed them some back funds for some surgeries, she had her house in her name and they placed a lien on it because the value was over the Medi-Caid limit to be on the program. This was all done through the SS program and you would not doubt the letters they sent when they are doing stuff like this and how fast they will move to secure the debt.

Sounds like a scam letter to me too.

Yep, have heard those types of situations before. Was your mom under 65 or was there a "nursing home" situation involved when she passed? If the latter, and Medicaid was footing the bill for the facility, yeah, any assets the person has is grabbed pretty quick. My wife's grandma was in a nursing home for the last 5-6 years of her life and the family would get about $30 a month from her husband's SS check to do "nice" personal care for grandma, such as fix her hair up and the rest Medicaid kept. I understand that situation, grandpa and grandma didn't really have a pot to p*** in when grandpa died and then 6 months later she was in the home and they are expensive. Still, it just felt weird getting a Jackson and a Hamilton from the government once a month for grandma to use. Its sad to see old people in such a situation, then again none of grandma's daughters (including my MiL) volunteered to take her into their homes and thus forcing the government to foot the bill. If they have to pay for it, then they call the shots...

Like Grit and others have said it’s a scam take this to the post office and let them proceed with charges. If you do make inquiries on your own don’t use any numbers supplied in the mailing you received.

Let us know how this shakes out !
Regards,
Don

Yes, in sanctuary states!

Yes, in sanctuary states!

Or, likely entered the country illegally, ie: terrorist.

Were his death benefits sent there, or to you?

Ask Barrrack Obama. As I recall, his SS# belonged to a deceased guy.

I'm sure it is a scam. Your fathers name at an address he never lived at. Big red flag.

Turn it over to the post office inspectors. By calling ANY number in that letter, you could be setting yourself up for further problems.

I googled the IRS location where this letter came from and the phone number there ended up a national one that got me on a various menu where none of the options fit the issue and there wasn't (or at least I didn't wait) an option for waiting for the rep. So, I called the number provided in the letter and got onto the same IRS phone system, although they had an extension that handled id theft. I got on that and they told me they were too busy today to handle my call. Doesn't sound like a scammer to me.

I will make a copy of the letter that was sent to my address and a photo copy of my dad's state death cert and send them to the IRS address where we sent my kids' taxes returns this year (its the same location that sent the letter to my address) and ask what gives. Dad's been dead 10 1/2 years so snail mail time to me is nothing. We'll see what they say in a month or two time.

Big Bob- I think we still had the estate address going when we got the SS burial fee over 10 years ago so it wasn't sent to my address (which would have different than the one that the current letter was sent to) but I opened it as a trustee of the estate.

yes, but there's only one lever, the "D" one.