1 00:00:00,680 --> 00:00:03,760 Speaker 1: Hello, they're friends. That's Josh. And for this week's Select, 2 00:00:03,800 --> 00:00:06,840 Speaker 1: I chose our episode that takes a frank and thrilling 3 00:00:06,880 --> 00:00:09,560 Speaker 1: look at what happens when the government thinks you're dead. 4 00:00:09,920 --> 00:00:12,920 Speaker 1: As you can imagine, nothing good is the answer to that. 5 00:00:13,280 --> 00:00:20,480 Speaker 1: I hope you enjoy. Welcome to Stuff you should know, 6 00:00:20,800 --> 00:00:29,400 Speaker 1: a production of I Heart Radio. Hey, I'm welcome to 7 00:00:29,400 --> 00:00:32,440 Speaker 1: the podcast. I'm Josh Clark. There's Charles w Chuck, Bryan, 8 00:00:32,479 --> 00:00:36,760 Speaker 1: there's Jerry over there. Jerry's not eating anything today. Chuk. 9 00:00:37,240 --> 00:00:39,720 Speaker 1: There is clear And did you just do that as 10 00:00:39,720 --> 00:00:43,720 Speaker 1: a coaster? Yes, I don't want to make a chinky 11 00:00:43,800 --> 00:00:48,080 Speaker 1: sound every time, Like Okay, I thought I don't want that. 12 00:00:48,159 --> 00:00:50,760 Speaker 1: I want this now, I get it. Did you hear that? 13 00:00:50,800 --> 00:00:53,800 Speaker 1: You didn't hear anything? No, I'm I said everyone. Josh 14 00:00:53,800 --> 00:00:56,960 Speaker 1: just folded up his notes and put his can of 15 00:00:57,040 --> 00:00:59,760 Speaker 1: cola down on that. And I've never seen you do that, 16 00:01:00,080 --> 00:01:02,480 Speaker 1: And I thought you were trying to preserve this cheap. 17 00:01:04,040 --> 00:01:07,040 Speaker 1: This thing is tougher than they. Okay, so it was 18 00:01:07,080 --> 00:01:10,399 Speaker 1: a sound thing. Sure, it's a sound dampening technique. Can 19 00:01:10,440 --> 00:01:12,720 Speaker 1: look at us after all these years. I came up 20 00:01:12,760 --> 00:01:16,880 Speaker 1: with that up in our game um, so, Chuck, do 21 00:01:16,920 --> 00:01:20,840 Speaker 1: you remember we did a social Security number episode? Did we? 22 00:01:21,319 --> 00:01:24,280 Speaker 1: I thought, so, you don't remember that one. It was 23 00:01:24,319 --> 00:01:26,520 Speaker 1: one of those ones where you're like, my eyes are 24 00:01:26,520 --> 00:01:28,600 Speaker 1: going to bleed because this is so boring, but it 25 00:01:28,640 --> 00:01:30,880 Speaker 1: turned out to be pretty interesting. It was one of 26 00:01:30,920 --> 00:01:32,880 Speaker 1: those remember that. But we should give a little bit 27 00:01:32,920 --> 00:01:36,040 Speaker 1: of a refresher on social Security numbers. Okay, yeah, here's mine. 28 00:01:37,440 --> 00:01:40,840 Speaker 1: Oh you're gonna give your your to eight seven, nine four. No, 29 00:01:40,959 --> 00:01:44,399 Speaker 1: I don't even because what if I just accidentally said 30 00:01:44,400 --> 00:01:50,120 Speaker 1: someone else's like made one up? Yeah, and some dudes listening, 31 00:01:50,200 --> 00:01:56,120 Speaker 1: it's like, dude, how'd you know Todd? It's always Todd? 32 00:01:56,240 --> 00:02:00,280 Speaker 1: I don't know. So, so security numbers, get this everybody. 33 00:02:00,720 --> 00:02:03,800 Speaker 1: They first started being issued in November of nine six, 34 00:02:04,600 --> 00:02:10,360 Speaker 1: and the Social Security Administration was created to administer a 35 00:02:10,440 --> 00:02:14,160 Speaker 1: new deal program of federal benefits, things like welfare or 36 00:02:14,720 --> 00:02:20,520 Speaker 1: retirement benefits, medicare UM. The entire reason any of us 37 00:02:20,560 --> 00:02:23,880 Speaker 1: originally were given a Social Security number was to track 38 00:02:23,919 --> 00:02:28,959 Speaker 1: our lifetime earnings and to um determine how much we'd 39 00:02:28,960 --> 00:02:32,040 Speaker 1: put into Social Security so that when we retired, they 40 00:02:32,040 --> 00:02:34,840 Speaker 1: could determine how much we should get out in retirement. 41 00:02:35,160 --> 00:02:38,320 Speaker 1: That's why everyone has a SOFAL security number. And because 42 00:02:38,320 --> 00:02:41,680 Speaker 1: there are nine digits um, there's something like a billion 43 00:02:41,680 --> 00:02:46,320 Speaker 1: different possible combinations. And we're about halfway towards using up 44 00:02:46,680 --> 00:02:51,079 Speaker 1: the SOB security numbers, but probably gaining fast. We are 45 00:02:51,080 --> 00:02:53,280 Speaker 1: starting to gain much faster than we were before, a 46 00:02:53,480 --> 00:02:56,400 Speaker 1: good point, but we still got plenty of time. But 47 00:02:56,480 --> 00:03:00,720 Speaker 1: because of this um, social security numbers get tired when 48 00:03:00,760 --> 00:03:05,560 Speaker 1: you die, which we'll get to. But originally, when when 49 00:03:05,760 --> 00:03:07,920 Speaker 1: you were given social Security number, that was it. It 50 00:03:07,960 --> 00:03:10,240 Speaker 1: wasn't meant for anything else but to track your earnings 51 00:03:10,240 --> 00:03:12,560 Speaker 1: in to figure out your retirement. Right. Yeah, not like 52 00:03:12,600 --> 00:03:15,280 Speaker 1: when you get to go to get a haircut basically 53 00:03:15,320 --> 00:03:17,560 Speaker 1: and they ask you for your Social Security number. And 54 00:03:17,600 --> 00:03:20,040 Speaker 1: the seventies, the federal government said, okay, there's a couple 55 00:03:20,040 --> 00:03:22,119 Speaker 1: of other things that you should really have your SOLI 56 00:03:22,160 --> 00:03:26,160 Speaker 1: Security number. For a passport, UM makes sense if you 57 00:03:26,200 --> 00:03:28,400 Speaker 1: go to open a bank account that was a new 58 00:03:28,440 --> 00:03:31,440 Speaker 1: one too, I'll buy that UM. But then, like you said, 59 00:03:31,480 --> 00:03:35,480 Speaker 1: like as computers came along, now everybody asked what it's 60 00:03:35,520 --> 00:03:38,800 Speaker 1: become an identifier in a in an authenticator, and that 61 00:03:38,960 --> 00:03:41,360 Speaker 1: is really bad. That is not what we should be 62 00:03:41,360 --> 00:03:46,040 Speaker 1: doing with social Security numbers. It really not only that, 63 00:03:46,080 --> 00:03:48,240 Speaker 1: but the phone numbers and everything and addresses. It just 64 00:03:48,280 --> 00:03:51,280 Speaker 1: annoys me. And I'm not like a conspiracy guy. It's 65 00:03:51,320 --> 00:03:53,760 Speaker 1: not like I think, like, oh, what are they going 66 00:03:53,800 --> 00:03:56,320 Speaker 1: to do with this? It just annoys me. Well, and 67 00:03:56,400 --> 00:03:59,000 Speaker 1: I can't get a haircut without provide. I'm like, I 68 00:03:59,040 --> 00:04:02,200 Speaker 1: have cash in my and you have scissors. Can we 69 00:04:02,240 --> 00:04:05,440 Speaker 1: just do this right? Can we do it like Floyd style? 70 00:04:06,120 --> 00:04:09,200 Speaker 1: You know? But it annoys me. But even if you 71 00:04:09,200 --> 00:04:12,760 Speaker 1: take away the annoyance, companies have proven time and time 72 00:04:12,800 --> 00:04:16,000 Speaker 1: and time again that they're not to be trusted protecting 73 00:04:16,000 --> 00:04:20,039 Speaker 1: your SO Security number because to authenticate you saying who 74 00:04:20,080 --> 00:04:22,159 Speaker 1: you are who you say you are, they've got to 75 00:04:22,200 --> 00:04:25,640 Speaker 1: have your SO Security number on file. And when somebody 76 00:04:25,680 --> 00:04:28,760 Speaker 1: hacks into their databases, they get your SO Security number. 77 00:04:28,800 --> 00:04:31,960 Speaker 1: All of your information is right there, and it's become 78 00:04:31,960 --> 00:04:35,000 Speaker 1: a real problem. But it's also become a real problem 79 00:04:35,160 --> 00:04:39,640 Speaker 1: living a modern life without giving out SO security number. Right. 80 00:04:40,240 --> 00:04:42,760 Speaker 1: So we say all this to point out that if 81 00:04:42,800 --> 00:04:45,680 Speaker 1: for some reason, you didn't have a Social Security number 82 00:04:45,680 --> 00:04:49,440 Speaker 1: any longer, it would be tough to navigate life. And 83 00:04:49,480 --> 00:04:53,080 Speaker 1: that actually happens to some people. Yeah, if you've seen 84 00:04:53,120 --> 00:04:56,360 Speaker 1: the movie Brazil, Oh is it like this? You never 85 00:04:56,360 --> 00:05:01,000 Speaker 1: saw Brazil. It's it's sort of this in a future 86 00:05:01,200 --> 00:05:06,840 Speaker 1: dystopian world, but you know, basically like it's it's bureaucracy 87 00:05:06,880 --> 00:05:11,240 Speaker 1: at its best of someone who's you know, dead or 88 00:05:11,279 --> 00:05:13,479 Speaker 1: not dead, and the government mixes it up. Is that 89 00:05:13,560 --> 00:05:16,360 Speaker 1: what Brazil is about? Yeah? I did not know that. Yeah, 90 00:05:16,400 --> 00:05:18,280 Speaker 1: I'm glad you brought that up thing because we would 91 00:05:18,279 --> 00:05:21,600 Speaker 1: have heard from people. It's it's an Yeah, it's good, right, 92 00:05:21,760 --> 00:05:23,839 Speaker 1: it is. And you should go listen to the movie 93 00:05:23,839 --> 00:05:28,039 Speaker 1: Crush episode on Brazil with Jonathan Colton. Okay, yeah, I 94 00:05:28,080 --> 00:05:29,960 Speaker 1: didn't know that. Why no one slipped past me. I 95 00:05:30,080 --> 00:05:33,800 Speaker 1: wasn't talking to you, but sure, you're welcome to listen. Thanks, 96 00:05:34,600 --> 00:05:37,080 Speaker 1: I'm part of everybody. I had to go to the 97 00:05:37,200 --> 00:05:40,640 Speaker 1: Social Security Office recently to get a card because of 98 00:05:40,680 --> 00:05:44,240 Speaker 1: this job in our new company. Really, yeah, I had 99 00:05:44,240 --> 00:05:48,520 Speaker 1: to prove, you know whatever, that I'm alive. You didn't unemployable. 100 00:05:48,520 --> 00:05:50,919 Speaker 1: I guess you didn't just give him your passport. I 101 00:05:50,920 --> 00:05:54,400 Speaker 1: couldn't find my passport because I'm in between houses right 102 00:05:54,440 --> 00:05:56,919 Speaker 1: now and it was buried somewhere. Okay, but you do 103 00:05:57,000 --> 00:05:59,200 Speaker 1: have it, because we're probably going to Toronto this year. 104 00:05:59,560 --> 00:06:01,680 Speaker 1: I do have it. I did find it kind of 105 00:06:01,720 --> 00:06:04,719 Speaker 1: after I went to the Social Security office. But all 106 00:06:04,760 --> 00:06:07,159 Speaker 1: that was just to say that if you think the 107 00:06:07,240 --> 00:06:11,400 Speaker 1: d m V is a pit of despair, just go 108 00:06:11,520 --> 00:06:14,080 Speaker 1: to the Social Security I want to It's not fun. 109 00:06:14,240 --> 00:06:18,599 Speaker 1: I really don't want to know. So, um, okay, you 110 00:06:18,600 --> 00:06:21,839 Speaker 1: can imagine how bad it is when everything's just hunky 111 00:06:21,839 --> 00:06:24,120 Speaker 1: dory and you just need a copy of your card. 112 00:06:24,160 --> 00:06:27,560 Speaker 1: That's all you needed. Right For some people, some poor 113 00:06:27,600 --> 00:06:31,680 Speaker 1: SAPs out there, they are thought by the government and 114 00:06:31,839 --> 00:06:35,880 Speaker 1: listed by the government as having died, and that is 115 00:06:35,920 --> 00:06:39,479 Speaker 1: a big problem if you're alive. Yes, because again, you 116 00:06:39,520 --> 00:06:42,680 Speaker 1: need your Social Security number for everything to start with. 117 00:06:43,279 --> 00:06:47,360 Speaker 1: And then secondly, because we have enough social Security numbers 118 00:06:47,360 --> 00:06:50,400 Speaker 1: to go around. Like I said, when you die, you're 119 00:06:50,440 --> 00:06:53,640 Speaker 1: so security number gets retired with you and they hang 120 00:06:53,680 --> 00:06:56,360 Speaker 1: in in the rafters of your local NBA franchise. It's 121 00:06:56,400 --> 00:07:00,680 Speaker 1: exactly right. If you look really closely, they're all up there. 122 00:07:00,720 --> 00:07:04,240 Speaker 1: But um, that's that is a problem for somebody who 123 00:07:04,240 --> 00:07:07,920 Speaker 1: gets listed as dead on what's called the death Master file. 124 00:07:08,720 --> 00:07:12,640 Speaker 1: Do I need to say it now? Even somebody listening 125 00:07:12,680 --> 00:07:14,960 Speaker 1: to the very first stuff. You should know right now. 126 00:07:15,240 --> 00:07:17,760 Speaker 1: They know what you're saying. There's a bunch of good 127 00:07:17,760 --> 00:07:20,080 Speaker 1: band names in here. But Death Master File is pretty good. 128 00:07:20,840 --> 00:07:24,240 Speaker 1: So uh. It's also called the Social Security Death Index, 129 00:07:24,600 --> 00:07:27,240 Speaker 1: but death Master files way better. I think you would agree. 130 00:07:27,320 --> 00:07:29,720 Speaker 1: It depends on who you're talking to. I think genealogists 131 00:07:29,720 --> 00:07:32,480 Speaker 1: typically call it the s S d I. Everybody else 132 00:07:32,520 --> 00:07:34,360 Speaker 1: calls it the death Master File. That's what I saw, 133 00:07:34,480 --> 00:07:36,880 Speaker 1: you know why, because they don't know how to party 134 00:07:37,200 --> 00:07:39,200 Speaker 1: or they get their own little weird party going on. 135 00:07:39,360 --> 00:07:42,360 Speaker 1: Oh yeah, I didn't think about that. Um. Yeah, you 136 00:07:42,440 --> 00:07:44,840 Speaker 1: gotta look at people differently sometimes. I was trying to 137 00:07:44,840 --> 00:07:48,720 Speaker 1: think of the bumper sticker. Genealogists do it blank in 138 00:07:48,840 --> 00:07:53,760 Speaker 1: the in the archives. Genealogists do it with their DNA, 139 00:07:54,200 --> 00:08:00,880 Speaker 1: with their dead ancestors. It's two bumper stickers, just having 140 00:08:00,920 --> 00:08:05,400 Speaker 1: ellipses had become of one. So uh, all right, where 141 00:08:05,480 --> 00:08:07,840 Speaker 1: were we the d MF. Alright, it's it was established 142 00:08:07,840 --> 00:08:11,040 Speaker 1: at the same time the Social Security numbers were back 143 00:08:11,080 --> 00:08:13,320 Speaker 1: in nineteen thirty six, and then it took all the 144 00:08:13,320 --> 00:08:18,400 Speaker 1: way to night before the public could even see this list, 145 00:08:18,840 --> 00:08:21,480 Speaker 1: right right, there was a freedom of Information Act that 146 00:08:21,560 --> 00:08:24,720 Speaker 1: was filed back in night um, and there was a 147 00:08:24,760 --> 00:08:27,200 Speaker 1: lawsuit in the federal court said you know what, yeah, 148 00:08:27,240 --> 00:08:29,920 Speaker 1: this is this is public information. You have to publish this. 149 00:08:30,440 --> 00:08:35,880 Speaker 1: And there's actually like a master death master file that's 150 00:08:35,880 --> 00:08:40,840 Speaker 1: called the New Newmandent and that's like everything, and that's 151 00:08:41,040 --> 00:08:43,760 Speaker 1: the that's the one that the death master file is 152 00:08:43,840 --> 00:08:46,440 Speaker 1: derived from. The public version of it is the death 153 00:08:46,480 --> 00:08:50,680 Speaker 1: master file, right which, when you die, there a bunch 154 00:08:50,760 --> 00:08:53,560 Speaker 1: of ways that your name can get to the s 155 00:08:53,559 --> 00:08:58,199 Speaker 1: s A, the Social Security Administration. Sometimes it's a funeral home. 156 00:08:58,320 --> 00:09:03,000 Speaker 1: Sometimes it's from like a spittle. Sometimes it's from your family, um, 157 00:09:03,040 --> 00:09:06,760 Speaker 1: because it's the family's responsibility ultimately to report it. But 158 00:09:06,840 --> 00:09:08,400 Speaker 1: most of the time the funeral home is the one 159 00:09:08,440 --> 00:09:10,520 Speaker 1: that actually does is like a service. I wouldn't have 160 00:09:10,559 --> 00:09:14,680 Speaker 1: known that, but I also saw, um, well now you know, um, 161 00:09:14,920 --> 00:09:17,240 Speaker 1: there's probably some poor stuff. You should know a listener, 162 00:09:17,520 --> 00:09:21,480 Speaker 1: our condolences, who's dealing with this right now? It's your 163 00:09:21,480 --> 00:09:26,560 Speaker 1: responsibility to go report this to the Social Security Administration. Yeah, okay, 164 00:09:26,720 --> 00:09:31,480 Speaker 1: that's sad. I also saw that your bank, the postal service, 165 00:09:31,760 --> 00:09:35,360 Speaker 1: some other randos are legally allowed to report your death 166 00:09:35,400 --> 00:09:38,120 Speaker 1: as well, so as the post off post person to 167 00:09:38,200 --> 00:09:40,840 Speaker 1: saying like, I haven't picked up their mail in like 168 00:09:40,920 --> 00:09:43,360 Speaker 1: three weeks, they're dead. To me, I think I should 169 00:09:43,400 --> 00:09:45,760 Speaker 1: just report that. I don't. I don't know I could. 170 00:09:45,920 --> 00:09:50,080 Speaker 1: I could not find the procedure from that anything other 171 00:09:50,120 --> 00:09:53,760 Speaker 1: than a couple of good sources mentioned the postal service 172 00:09:54,240 --> 00:09:58,240 Speaker 1: as a legal place, the legal entity that can report 173 00:09:58,280 --> 00:10:01,200 Speaker 1: your death to the FEDS. Right, So why do they 174 00:10:01,280 --> 00:10:04,320 Speaker 1: want this death Master File? Of course, if you have 175 00:10:04,480 --> 00:10:07,640 Speaker 1: paid UM, well, the government needs to know if you're 176 00:10:07,679 --> 00:10:10,840 Speaker 1: not around anymore. It's kind of that simple. There's a 177 00:10:10,880 --> 00:10:13,640 Speaker 1: couple of reasons why. Yes, they need to know, because 178 00:10:13,679 --> 00:10:16,120 Speaker 1: you get a little dough They can't have your Soubsecurity 179 00:10:16,200 --> 00:10:19,280 Speaker 1: number out there. They need to know that you're deceased 180 00:10:19,720 --> 00:10:24,920 Speaker 1: UM because they don't want to be paying um income 181 00:10:24,960 --> 00:10:28,800 Speaker 1: tax refunds if somebody starts filing them fraudulently. They don't 182 00:10:28,800 --> 00:10:31,040 Speaker 1: want people opening bank accounts in your name. They want 183 00:10:31,200 --> 00:10:35,080 Speaker 1: to make sure that you're listed as dead. And so 184 00:10:35,160 --> 00:10:37,520 Speaker 1: that's what the Death Master File does. It kind of 185 00:10:37,559 --> 00:10:41,560 Speaker 1: serves as the storehouse for all the people in America 186 00:10:41,600 --> 00:10:44,320 Speaker 1: who have been dead basically since the sixties. But it 187 00:10:44,400 --> 00:10:46,959 Speaker 1: goes as far back as nineteen thirty six or thirty seven, 188 00:10:47,360 --> 00:10:50,880 Speaker 1: which is surprisingly more than a hundred million people. Yes, 189 00:10:51,120 --> 00:10:54,120 Speaker 1: but they think that there's maybe up to sixteen million 190 00:10:54,160 --> 00:10:58,120 Speaker 1: dead people missing from this list. It's not it's not perfect. 191 00:10:58,160 --> 00:11:01,880 Speaker 1: We'll spoil now. I guess we should then follow that 192 00:11:01,920 --> 00:11:04,240 Speaker 1: statement by saying there are tens of thousands of people 193 00:11:04,280 --> 00:11:05,920 Speaker 1: on that list who should not be on that list, 194 00:11:06,080 --> 00:11:09,280 Speaker 1: right exactly, But before we get to there, um, This 195 00:11:09,360 --> 00:11:12,760 Speaker 1: Death Masterfile originally was so Social Security could track who 196 00:11:12,840 --> 00:11:15,120 Speaker 1: was dead and who wasn't, so they could determine who 197 00:11:15,200 --> 00:11:18,679 Speaker 1: to pay Social Security Administration benefits out to the survivors. 198 00:11:19,080 --> 00:11:21,320 Speaker 1: Get this, did you know this? If you're in America 199 00:11:21,480 --> 00:11:23,920 Speaker 1: and you're the recipient, you're the survivor of somebody who 200 00:11:23,960 --> 00:11:26,800 Speaker 1: gets Social Security, you get a cool two hundred and 201 00:11:26,840 --> 00:11:29,760 Speaker 1: fifty five dollars to help bury them. Yeah. That's when 202 00:11:29,800 --> 00:11:32,280 Speaker 1: I said you get a little dough that I meant little, 203 00:11:32,360 --> 00:11:36,080 Speaker 1: a little dough. Yeah, maybe like one of the fancy 204 00:11:36,160 --> 00:11:40,040 Speaker 1: handles on the casket would be covered by that. I 205 00:11:40,040 --> 00:11:42,720 Speaker 1: don't even think you can get cremated for two hundred dollars. 206 00:11:43,080 --> 00:11:44,960 Speaker 1: I don't know. I don't even think they'll leave you 207 00:11:45,000 --> 00:11:47,800 Speaker 1: in a ditch out back for two hundred dollars. A 208 00:11:47,880 --> 00:11:50,880 Speaker 1: sky burial costs more than that. Maybe that try state 209 00:11:50,920 --> 00:11:54,079 Speaker 1: crematorium would take your two hundred fifty dollars. But that's it. 210 00:11:54,920 --> 00:11:59,559 Speaker 1: Do you remember them? Oh? Sure, yeah evil? So uh, 211 00:12:00,280 --> 00:12:02,400 Speaker 1: like you said, mistakes are made. And this is where 212 00:12:02,400 --> 00:12:06,040 Speaker 1: it turns slightly Brazil, there was an investigation in two 213 00:12:06,040 --> 00:12:10,040 Speaker 1: thousand eleven and they actually named grave Mistakes, which is 214 00:12:10,120 --> 00:12:14,360 Speaker 1: hysterical by Scripps Howard News service. And what they did 215 00:12:14,440 --> 00:12:18,720 Speaker 1: was they took uh this master death file from three 216 00:12:18,760 --> 00:12:22,720 Speaker 1: different years two thousand eight, two thousand eleven. They created 217 00:12:22,720 --> 00:12:27,240 Speaker 1: a computer program to basically just compare them to see 218 00:12:27,280 --> 00:12:30,760 Speaker 1: what they came up with. And that they found, uh third, 219 00:12:30,800 --> 00:12:35,480 Speaker 1: almost thirty two thousand living people who were listed as deceased, 220 00:12:35,480 --> 00:12:37,839 Speaker 1: and ninety eight or two thousand eight that were then 221 00:12:37,880 --> 00:12:40,760 Speaker 1: taken off that list after they realized that they goofed 222 00:12:40,840 --> 00:12:44,800 Speaker 1: up in two thousand eleven. So these people had spent months, years, 223 00:12:45,040 --> 00:12:48,920 Speaker 1: maybe um listed as dead. And here's the problem. It's 224 00:12:48,960 --> 00:12:52,079 Speaker 1: bad enough if you go to apply for Medicare because 225 00:12:52,080 --> 00:12:55,880 Speaker 1: you've retired or Social Security benefits and the government says 226 00:12:56,200 --> 00:13:00,480 Speaker 1: denied UM you're dead and you're listed as dead, because 227 00:13:00,600 --> 00:13:02,839 Speaker 1: as far as the government's concerned, if you're on this, 228 00:13:03,400 --> 00:13:07,959 Speaker 1: you're dead. To them. That's bad enough. But remember that 229 00:13:08,080 --> 00:13:11,760 Speaker 1: Freedom of Information Act Um lawsuit that opened the thing 230 00:13:11,840 --> 00:13:16,520 Speaker 1: up to being published publicly. The reason why that suit 231 00:13:16,679 --> 00:13:19,280 Speaker 1: was filed is because the business community said, hey, we 232 00:13:19,360 --> 00:13:23,680 Speaker 1: can really use that thing there. It's basically it would 233 00:13:23,720 --> 00:13:26,440 Speaker 1: be like a big do not take checks from these 234 00:13:26,480 --> 00:13:31,120 Speaker 1: people list for all dead Americans. Because if somebody comes 235 00:13:31,160 --> 00:13:33,320 Speaker 1: to us and wants to open a bank account, wants 236 00:13:33,360 --> 00:13:36,040 Speaker 1: to get an insurance policy, wants to get a car, 237 00:13:36,440 --> 00:13:39,520 Speaker 1: wants to get a job, it doesn't matter, wants to 238 00:13:39,559 --> 00:13:42,080 Speaker 1: do something where they could take us for a ride, 239 00:13:42,120 --> 00:13:46,040 Speaker 1: if they're a fraud, then if we had this list 240 00:13:46,080 --> 00:13:49,480 Speaker 1: to check against, like social Security numbers or names or whatever, 241 00:13:49,920 --> 00:13:52,720 Speaker 1: we could root out fraud and we could defend ourselves 242 00:13:52,760 --> 00:13:55,800 Speaker 1: from identity theft and the fraud that's perpetrated by it. 243 00:13:56,360 --> 00:14:05,240 Speaker 1: And so banks, insurance company, car dealerships, cable companies, employers, everybody, 244 00:14:05,280 --> 00:14:09,640 Speaker 1: other government agencies, all barbers, they don't forget them. They 245 00:14:09,720 --> 00:14:13,439 Speaker 1: all use this death Master file, which is available publicly 246 00:14:13,840 --> 00:14:17,920 Speaker 1: to check your applications against. And if the government says 247 00:14:18,000 --> 00:14:20,720 Speaker 1: that you're dead. It says that on this file, whether 248 00:14:20,760 --> 00:14:24,720 Speaker 1: it's right or wrong, you're dead. And that's a whole 249 00:14:24,760 --> 00:14:27,360 Speaker 1: lot of problems for you. We're gonna get into those 250 00:14:28,040 --> 00:14:58,640 Speaker 1: right after this, and things chock chock stop. So before 251 00:14:58,680 --> 00:15:01,680 Speaker 1: we broke, I was talking about that, uh, that scripts 252 00:15:01,880 --> 00:15:05,720 Speaker 1: um investigation, and there was an Inspector General's report in 253 00:15:05,760 --> 00:15:08,560 Speaker 1: two thousand and eight that kind of pulled back the 254 00:15:08,600 --> 00:15:13,600 Speaker 1: curtain on this stuff, and Social Security said, uh, yeah, 255 00:15:13,920 --> 00:15:16,720 Speaker 1: that's about right. There's there's a lot of people tens 256 00:15:16,720 --> 00:15:19,360 Speaker 1: of thousands that we think are dead and aren't dead, 257 00:15:19,520 --> 00:15:23,240 Speaker 1: but they're they're success rates pretty good. Yeah, and he said, 258 00:15:23,400 --> 00:15:26,200 Speaker 1: they said, but we're at a ninety nine point five 259 00:15:26,360 --> 00:15:30,200 Speaker 1: nine rate of accuracy, which is not too bad for 260 00:15:30,240 --> 00:15:33,840 Speaker 1: a government bureaucracy. That's really good. And they said that 261 00:15:34,880 --> 00:15:37,320 Speaker 1: of the time, can you can fix it in just 262 00:15:37,440 --> 00:15:43,480 Speaker 1: a year, just a hellish year. Yeah, not too bad. Um. 263 00:15:43,520 --> 00:15:50,440 Speaker 1: And so they basically admitted two being a government. Uh. 264 00:15:50,960 --> 00:15:53,280 Speaker 1: I don't want to knock them too much because it 265 00:15:53,320 --> 00:15:56,680 Speaker 1: feels like everyone's always, you know, knocking government work. But 266 00:15:56,920 --> 00:16:00,000 Speaker 1: they're basically saying like, yeah, man, it these names are miskeeeds. 267 00:16:00,160 --> 00:16:06,080 Speaker 1: Or these numbers are miskeyed. Sometimes happens, so UM. The 268 00:16:06,600 --> 00:16:10,600 Speaker 1: thing is that point for one percent error rate, that's 269 00:16:10,920 --> 00:16:13,800 Speaker 1: tens of thousands of people every year. There's like two 270 00:16:13,800 --> 00:16:16,880 Speaker 1: point seven million people added to this list every year 271 00:16:16,920 --> 00:16:20,280 Speaker 1: who die in America, right, so it adds up to 272 00:16:20,320 --> 00:16:23,840 Speaker 1: a lot of errors. The thing is that SoC Security 273 00:16:23,880 --> 00:16:28,320 Speaker 1: Administration UM, so they take their Death Master file, they 274 00:16:28,360 --> 00:16:32,080 Speaker 1: handed over to the National Technical Information Service, and they're 275 00:16:32,080 --> 00:16:35,320 Speaker 1: the ones who distributed to all the insurance companies, the 276 00:16:35,360 --> 00:16:39,920 Speaker 1: genealogy websites, I think ancestry dot com publishes it UM, 277 00:16:40,040 --> 00:16:44,360 Speaker 1: the yeah insurance companies, everybody who wants to do a 278 00:16:44,400 --> 00:16:47,800 Speaker 1: background check on you, they all get their their versions 279 00:16:47,840 --> 00:16:52,000 Speaker 1: of this from them, the National Technical Information Service. But 280 00:16:52,240 --> 00:16:55,960 Speaker 1: part of the agreement to get this from them you 281 00:16:56,000 --> 00:16:58,160 Speaker 1: have to pay for it, is that you have to 282 00:16:58,240 --> 00:17:02,040 Speaker 1: keep your DMF up to date because if you just 283 00:17:02,160 --> 00:17:05,720 Speaker 1: buy one every once in a while UM and the 284 00:17:05,760 --> 00:17:09,000 Speaker 1: Social Security Administration finds an error on and updates their file. 285 00:17:09,400 --> 00:17:11,880 Speaker 1: If you don't go get the new file, your old 286 00:17:11,920 --> 00:17:14,520 Speaker 1: file is still going to have that error. And that's 287 00:17:14,560 --> 00:17:17,359 Speaker 1: when it becomes problematic for the people who are listed 288 00:17:17,400 --> 00:17:20,679 Speaker 1: as deceased. When they try to go get credit and 289 00:17:20,720 --> 00:17:23,960 Speaker 1: it kind of has a tendency to spread once it's 290 00:17:23,960 --> 00:17:27,800 Speaker 1: out there. Yeah. So, like I said, sometimes it's being 291 00:17:27,880 --> 00:17:30,600 Speaker 1: mis keyed. UM. One I think they said like one 292 00:17:30,600 --> 00:17:35,159 Speaker 1: out of every two hundred is just from clerical error. Um. 293 00:17:35,320 --> 00:17:39,880 Speaker 1: Sometimes it can be like, um, a family member goes 294 00:17:39,920 --> 00:17:43,160 Speaker 1: to report to death and they accidentally make a mistake 295 00:17:43,280 --> 00:17:45,920 Speaker 1: where they might end up being on the death list. Yeah. 296 00:17:45,960 --> 00:17:48,800 Speaker 1: I don't know how that happens, but it does happen. 297 00:17:48,840 --> 00:17:52,119 Speaker 1: There are people like Don Pilger human error, married du 298 00:17:52,200 --> 00:17:55,560 Speaker 1: Bord who who apparently married du Board just gave up. 299 00:17:56,200 --> 00:17:58,600 Speaker 1: She She's like, my husband can get credit cards still, 300 00:17:58,640 --> 00:18:02,200 Speaker 1: I'm just gonna live off of uh. Sometimes you this 301 00:18:02,240 --> 00:18:06,320 Speaker 1: one woman named Candice Atkins just accidentally clicked deceased on 302 00:18:06,400 --> 00:18:09,760 Speaker 1: a tax return on an electronic filing, and that was it. 303 00:18:09,920 --> 00:18:13,119 Speaker 1: Can you imagine now, I can't believe there's not an undo. 304 00:18:13,680 --> 00:18:16,280 Speaker 1: That's yeah, I was looking at me that she had submitted. 305 00:18:16,600 --> 00:18:18,720 Speaker 1: I guess you could probably have undone it in the moment, 306 00:18:19,200 --> 00:18:21,480 Speaker 1: but she didn't realize it and submitted it, right, But 307 00:18:21,520 --> 00:18:25,320 Speaker 1: you should still be able to undo that. Um. And 308 00:18:25,359 --> 00:18:28,480 Speaker 1: then there are some weird things these uh anomalies that 309 00:18:28,520 --> 00:18:33,000 Speaker 1: you dug up. Um. More than false listings made in 310 00:18:33,040 --> 00:18:37,359 Speaker 1: two thousand seven were from Illinois. Yep. It sounds like 311 00:18:37,359 --> 00:18:39,119 Speaker 1: a hiccup in the system to me. I hiccup in 312 00:18:39,119 --> 00:18:45,800 Speaker 1: the system or a super lazy data entry person you think. Yeah. Uh. 313 00:18:45,960 --> 00:18:49,960 Speaker 1: More than two million Americans were falsely listed as dying 314 00:18:49,960 --> 00:18:53,080 Speaker 1: on the fifte and that was just an internal policy, 315 00:18:53,320 --> 00:18:56,120 Speaker 1: is to use the fifte as a default value when 316 00:18:56,119 --> 00:18:58,720 Speaker 1: they didn't know at the middle of the month. Sounds 317 00:18:58,720 --> 00:19:01,639 Speaker 1: good to me. Um, I guess that was just the 318 00:19:01,800 --> 00:19:04,320 Speaker 1: question of not going to the trouble of verifying the 319 00:19:04,359 --> 00:19:07,800 Speaker 1: information right so um. And it can happen the other 320 00:19:07,800 --> 00:19:10,960 Speaker 1: way too, you can be I think at least six 321 00:19:11,080 --> 00:19:14,159 Speaker 1: million dead Americans are labeled as alive, which is a 322 00:19:14,320 --> 00:19:18,280 Speaker 1: huge problem because you're you're just your information is out 323 00:19:18,280 --> 00:19:22,439 Speaker 1: there ready to be abused by the nefarious. Well, no, 324 00:19:22,640 --> 00:19:25,960 Speaker 1: that's the opposite. If you're If you're listed as deceased 325 00:19:25,960 --> 00:19:29,439 Speaker 1: but you're still alive, your information is being published and 326 00:19:29,480 --> 00:19:34,000 Speaker 1: can be used for identity fraud. If you're actually dead 327 00:19:34,040 --> 00:19:37,040 Speaker 1: and not listed. If somebody knows that you're dead and 328 00:19:37,080 --> 00:19:39,920 Speaker 1: not listed, they can use your stuff to to perpetrate 329 00:19:39,960 --> 00:19:42,920 Speaker 1: fraud against the government. Yeah, that's what I was saying. Yeah, 330 00:19:42,960 --> 00:19:46,440 Speaker 1: sixty seven thousand of those people, of those numbers were 331 00:19:46,520 --> 00:19:49,760 Speaker 1: used to report three billion dollars in income between two 332 00:19:49,760 --> 00:19:52,040 Speaker 1: thousand and six and two thousand eleven. That's a lot 333 00:19:52,119 --> 00:19:57,919 Speaker 1: of text return refunds, so fraud. Yeah, So it's a 334 00:19:57,960 --> 00:20:01,520 Speaker 1: problem both ways, where either you're dead and you're not 335 00:20:01,640 --> 00:20:06,840 Speaker 1: listed on there, or you're not dead and they listed 336 00:20:06,840 --> 00:20:10,160 Speaker 1: you anyway. And like I was saying earlier, this once 337 00:20:10,160 --> 00:20:13,000 Speaker 1: this information gets out there, because there's so many different 338 00:20:13,320 --> 00:20:17,840 Speaker 1: entities getting this list, once it's out there, it stays 339 00:20:17,880 --> 00:20:20,560 Speaker 1: out there. It's very tough to go around to everyone 340 00:20:21,040 --> 00:20:24,320 Speaker 1: and and get this information changed. Even once you get 341 00:20:24,359 --> 00:20:27,560 Speaker 1: it changed with the Social Security Administration, because while it's 342 00:20:27,560 --> 00:20:30,440 Speaker 1: a requirement to keep your your list up to date, 343 00:20:30,480 --> 00:20:34,040 Speaker 1: if you're a subscriber, there's no enforcement to it. There's 344 00:20:34,080 --> 00:20:37,160 Speaker 1: nobody who comes along and says, let me see your list. 345 00:20:37,200 --> 00:20:39,399 Speaker 1: Oh it's not up to date. Give me give me 346 00:20:39,440 --> 00:20:43,320 Speaker 1: ten dollars that you're fine. There's nobody enforcing it. So 347 00:20:44,040 --> 00:20:46,919 Speaker 1: once it's out there, it's very tough to undo. It 348 00:20:47,000 --> 00:20:51,399 Speaker 1: takes forever, uh well less than a year on average supposedly. 349 00:20:53,000 --> 00:20:55,760 Speaker 1: So there are a lot of horror stories, UM for 350 00:20:55,840 --> 00:20:59,720 Speaker 1: what this can due to someone's life. UM. This one 351 00:20:59,760 --> 00:21:03,800 Speaker 1: per Sin Rivers. What's the first name, Judy Rivers. Judy 352 00:21:03,880 --> 00:21:09,880 Speaker 1: Rivers Rivers Cuomo. UM. Police actually detained Judy Rivers from 353 00:21:09,960 --> 00:21:12,320 Speaker 1: using because she used a debit card, her own debit 354 00:21:12,320 --> 00:21:14,880 Speaker 1: card at a Walmart at Walmart Plus. She also had 355 00:21:15,040 --> 00:21:21,160 Speaker 1: a mountain dew bottle size meth lab in her pocket. Uh. 356 00:21:21,200 --> 00:21:23,560 Speaker 1: But in like it seems like all of these cases. 357 00:21:23,600 --> 00:21:28,000 Speaker 1: It ranges from stuff like, um, your insurance gets all 358 00:21:28,000 --> 00:21:32,840 Speaker 1: messed up, or your maybe disability checks or your Medicaid payments, 359 00:21:33,080 --> 00:21:35,440 Speaker 1: or you're trying to get a home loan or trying 360 00:21:35,440 --> 00:21:37,760 Speaker 1: to get a credit card, like anything that you can 361 00:21:37,800 --> 00:21:40,480 Speaker 1: think of where a social Security number might help. You 362 00:21:40,480 --> 00:21:42,639 Speaker 1: can't get a haircut. You should see how long the 363 00:21:42,680 --> 00:21:45,600 Speaker 1: hair is on these people. Even if you have cash, 364 00:21:46,280 --> 00:21:48,679 Speaker 1: they won't do it. Rivers ended up living out of 365 00:21:48,680 --> 00:21:51,400 Speaker 1: her car for six months. Yeah, she had just a 366 00:21:51,480 --> 00:21:54,600 Speaker 1: really bad time of it for five years. UM. And 367 00:21:54,640 --> 00:21:56,960 Speaker 1: at first she didn't know what was going on because 368 00:21:57,359 --> 00:21:59,479 Speaker 1: she was frozen out of her bank accounts. Because this 369 00:21:59,520 --> 00:22:04,240 Speaker 1: is something said like like you you can't get future loans, 370 00:22:04,280 --> 00:22:07,199 Speaker 1: you can't get future insurance policies, you can't get future credit. 371 00:22:07,560 --> 00:22:11,240 Speaker 1: But also the stuff that you already have, your current 372 00:22:11,280 --> 00:22:14,520 Speaker 1: bank accounts, all that stuff gets frozen because you're listed 373 00:22:14,600 --> 00:22:17,360 Speaker 1: is dead, and so that comes up on the computer 374 00:22:17,600 --> 00:22:20,000 Speaker 1: and your account gets frozen. And even when you show 375 00:22:20,080 --> 00:22:22,720 Speaker 1: up and say hey, it's me, you know me, the 376 00:22:22,760 --> 00:22:25,000 Speaker 1: teller can't do anything about it. The bank can't do 377 00:22:25,040 --> 00:22:28,439 Speaker 1: anything about it. It's it's done. And now you've just 378 00:22:28,520 --> 00:22:34,399 Speaker 1: been pitted against the system. Yes, and it's like there's 379 00:22:34,400 --> 00:22:38,639 Speaker 1: no door you can go knock on and say, hey, 380 00:22:39,240 --> 00:22:40,960 Speaker 1: we can clear this up in just a few minutes. 381 00:22:41,160 --> 00:22:44,200 Speaker 1: I'm clearly alive. You just click the few little things 382 00:22:44,240 --> 00:22:46,760 Speaker 1: you need to click to get my life back. Because 383 00:22:46,800 --> 00:22:49,359 Speaker 1: the c US government it's not nearly that easy. So 384 00:22:49,400 --> 00:22:51,359 Speaker 1: I guess, said Chuck, that brings up what to do 385 00:22:51,400 --> 00:22:54,120 Speaker 1: because there actually are procedures in place, Like we said, 386 00:22:54,160 --> 00:22:57,680 Speaker 1: the Social Security Administration says this is not fully accurate. 387 00:22:57,680 --> 00:22:59,959 Speaker 1: Anybody gets this list needs to keep updating it as 388 00:23:00,040 --> 00:23:03,640 Speaker 1: we update it. I think they released an updated list weekly. 389 00:23:04,720 --> 00:23:06,480 Speaker 1: They don't even tell you though, you find out the 390 00:23:06,480 --> 00:23:08,959 Speaker 1: hard way almost always. That's a big one. Yeah, it's 391 00:23:09,000 --> 00:23:12,080 Speaker 1: not like they say, by the way, we found an error, UM, 392 00:23:12,200 --> 00:23:14,200 Speaker 1: because they don't know. They don't know you're alive. Right, 393 00:23:14,520 --> 00:23:18,359 Speaker 1: So I actually called the Social Security Administration. I did 394 00:23:18,760 --> 00:23:21,720 Speaker 1: because I wanted answers. You didn't go to the office. No, 395 00:23:21,840 --> 00:23:25,399 Speaker 1: I didn't know. It was a little laterward. It wasn't cowardless, 396 00:23:25,440 --> 00:23:28,600 Speaker 1: it was laziness. So UM I was talking to like 397 00:23:28,640 --> 00:23:31,400 Speaker 1: just the the guy who answered, and he knew exactly 398 00:23:31,400 --> 00:23:33,560 Speaker 1: what I was talking about, knew all the procedures. But 399 00:23:33,600 --> 00:23:35,120 Speaker 1: I asked him. I was like, do you guys ever 400 00:23:35,200 --> 00:23:38,119 Speaker 1: uncover this yourselves or is it when people come to 401 00:23:38,160 --> 00:23:39,640 Speaker 1: you that you know there's a mistake. He's like, yeah, 402 00:23:39,640 --> 00:23:42,520 Speaker 1: when people come to us. So supposedly there's all these 403 00:23:42,560 --> 00:23:45,639 Speaker 1: reforms in place and all that. But I think still 404 00:23:45,680 --> 00:23:48,200 Speaker 1: for the most part, when an error is uncovered, it's 405 00:23:48,200 --> 00:23:50,359 Speaker 1: because you found it out. But even if they do 406 00:23:50,480 --> 00:23:53,680 Speaker 1: find it out, yes, what you said is true, they 407 00:23:53,720 --> 00:23:57,320 Speaker 1: don't inform the person, which is kind of a violation 408 00:23:57,440 --> 00:24:01,760 Speaker 1: of the UM the Privacy Act, I would think. So 409 00:24:02,440 --> 00:24:04,959 Speaker 1: from what I understand, it is like anytime your confidential 410 00:24:05,000 --> 00:24:09,480 Speaker 1: information is breached and made public, UM, you're supposed to 411 00:24:09,520 --> 00:24:12,200 Speaker 1: be informed about that. So the SSA should be sending 412 00:24:12,200 --> 00:24:14,480 Speaker 1: out letters, but as far as I know, they do not. 413 00:24:15,200 --> 00:24:17,919 Speaker 1: I love this quote in here, um, under the section 414 00:24:17,920 --> 00:24:20,560 Speaker 1: on what to do, Like the Social Security Administration is 415 00:24:20,600 --> 00:24:24,680 Speaker 1: trying to correct this, and there's a quote from someone 416 00:24:24,680 --> 00:24:27,680 Speaker 1: who works there that said that sometimes they'll go out 417 00:24:27,720 --> 00:24:30,520 Speaker 1: and see if old Americans are really still alive, and 418 00:24:30,600 --> 00:24:33,320 Speaker 1: it it says this, we go to medicare and see 419 00:24:33,320 --> 00:24:37,400 Speaker 1: if anyone hasn't been to medicare for three years, and 420 00:24:37,600 --> 00:24:40,199 Speaker 1: if they haven't been, we try to go out and 421 00:24:40,240 --> 00:24:42,919 Speaker 1: make a phone call to call them and see if 422 00:24:42,960 --> 00:24:48,320 Speaker 1: they're you know, still here. And the interviewer was like, 423 00:24:48,440 --> 00:24:51,159 Speaker 1: are you drunk? That's what it sounds like. That is 424 00:24:51,160 --> 00:24:54,239 Speaker 1: the follow up question. Oh man, So yeah, they I 425 00:24:54,240 --> 00:24:57,680 Speaker 1: mean supposedly because of things like that. Scripts Howard News 426 00:24:57,680 --> 00:25:01,240 Speaker 1: Service investigation in two eleven sixteen minutes did a big one, 427 00:25:01,280 --> 00:25:07,280 Speaker 1: and I think, yeah, for sure, Um, yes, it is 428 00:25:09,440 --> 00:25:11,120 Speaker 1: like the truth of what you just have ran through 429 00:25:11,160 --> 00:25:16,280 Speaker 1: me like a bolt. Um. But the Social Security Administration 430 00:25:16,320 --> 00:25:18,720 Speaker 1: has finally kind of started to be responsive and they 431 00:25:18,720 --> 00:25:23,040 Speaker 1: are supposedly undertaking reforms, including having investigators try to root 432 00:25:23,119 --> 00:25:27,080 Speaker 1: this out themselves, which ironically they're relying on other government 433 00:25:27,160 --> 00:25:31,160 Speaker 1: databases like this guy said medicare to check their records against. 434 00:25:31,720 --> 00:25:34,879 Speaker 1: They've stopped taking reports from the state and now only 435 00:25:34,920 --> 00:25:40,280 Speaker 1: except um direct reports from people. But that in itself 436 00:25:40,320 --> 00:25:43,240 Speaker 1: opened up another problem because they went back and cleared 437 00:25:43,280 --> 00:25:47,840 Speaker 1: out the records of like five million Americans whose deaths 438 00:25:47,840 --> 00:25:51,840 Speaker 1: have been reported from state databases, so that six million 439 00:25:51,880 --> 00:25:54,840 Speaker 1: went to something like eleven million of dead people who 440 00:25:54,920 --> 00:25:58,360 Speaker 1: aren't on there. Now, are they actually recommending that you 441 00:25:59,520 --> 00:26:03,640 Speaker 1: pull your credit report three times a year? Yes? Really? Yes, 442 00:26:05,160 --> 00:26:08,879 Speaker 1: that seems like I don't know, You're not like that 443 00:26:08,920 --> 00:26:12,080 Speaker 1: affects your credit. I don't know if that one does. Really. 444 00:26:12,320 --> 00:26:14,520 Speaker 1: I know it's free for sure, but I don't know 445 00:26:14,560 --> 00:26:16,639 Speaker 1: if it affects your credit or not. But yeah, so 446 00:26:16,720 --> 00:26:19,879 Speaker 1: you get access to your the credit reports from the 447 00:26:19,960 --> 00:26:22,280 Speaker 1: three big bureaus, right, are you gonna do that? You 448 00:26:22,520 --> 00:26:25,359 Speaker 1: have you set up calendar reminders? No, I'm going through 449 00:26:25,400 --> 00:26:27,399 Speaker 1: now like once a quarter. I haven't the rest of 450 00:26:27,400 --> 00:26:29,520 Speaker 1: your life to make sure you're not listed as dead. 451 00:26:29,720 --> 00:26:32,040 Speaker 1: I haven't had time today yet. It seems like if 452 00:26:32,040 --> 00:26:34,880 Speaker 1: you're an active consumer in the world, you would find 453 00:26:34,880 --> 00:26:38,280 Speaker 1: out very quickly, very quickly. Um, without having to do that. Yeah, 454 00:26:38,320 --> 00:26:40,800 Speaker 1: that scripts service. Though, when they found the like thirty 455 00:26:40,880 --> 00:26:44,280 Speaker 1: four thousand people who have been listed as dead, they 456 00:26:44,320 --> 00:26:46,600 Speaker 1: tried to contact as many of them as they could, 457 00:26:46,840 --> 00:26:48,960 Speaker 1: and they said about half of the people were well 458 00:26:49,000 --> 00:26:52,960 Speaker 1: aware that they were listed as dead names through nightmare struggles, 459 00:26:53,000 --> 00:26:55,800 Speaker 1: but strangely like half had no idea what they were 460 00:26:55,840 --> 00:26:58,359 Speaker 1: talking about. So it's like, what kind of life do 461 00:26:58,400 --> 00:27:01,200 Speaker 1: you have to live to not be aware of that? 462 00:27:01,600 --> 00:27:03,840 Speaker 1: Because you you or I would come up against it 463 00:27:03,920 --> 00:27:06,520 Speaker 1: within a week or a month or something. It seems like, yeah, 464 00:27:06,680 --> 00:27:08,639 Speaker 1: like there would be something that came up where it's like, 465 00:27:08,800 --> 00:27:11,800 Speaker 1: wait a minute, but like it says this information isn't 466 00:27:12,119 --> 00:27:14,840 Speaker 1: is incomplete, or it says you're dead or something like that. 467 00:27:14,880 --> 00:27:16,640 Speaker 1: We find out pretty or just to go get money 468 00:27:16,640 --> 00:27:19,760 Speaker 1: out of a cash machine, it might say sorry, your 469 00:27:19,760 --> 00:27:22,919 Speaker 1: pen doesn't work. But I think the recommendation is in 470 00:27:22,960 --> 00:27:26,280 Speaker 1: addition to finding out that your listed is dead, there's 471 00:27:26,320 --> 00:27:28,479 Speaker 1: also a lot of other stuff that that you can 472 00:27:28,560 --> 00:27:31,359 Speaker 1: kind of keep tabs on by looking at your credit 473 00:27:31,400 --> 00:27:35,280 Speaker 1: report three times a year, once every four months. Yeah, 474 00:27:35,320 --> 00:27:37,800 Speaker 1: and they say the real solution for all of us 475 00:27:37,840 --> 00:27:41,840 Speaker 1: would be if every company on the planet doesn't require 476 00:27:42,440 --> 00:27:45,840 Speaker 1: Well here's the thing though, they can't legally require your 477 00:27:45,880 --> 00:27:50,280 Speaker 1: social Security number two open up or start a telephone 478 00:27:50,280 --> 00:27:52,800 Speaker 1: in your name at a home, but they'll ask for it. 479 00:27:52,880 --> 00:27:55,920 Speaker 1: And if you refuse to give it, like, you may 480 00:27:56,160 --> 00:27:57,399 Speaker 1: not be able to get at all, or you may 481 00:27:57,440 --> 00:27:59,200 Speaker 1: just have a really really hard time. Yeah, they can 482 00:27:59,240 --> 00:28:01,560 Speaker 1: refuse to do busin with you. And that's the crux 483 00:28:01,600 --> 00:28:05,560 Speaker 1: of the problem because that de facto means that you 484 00:28:05,800 --> 00:28:08,600 Speaker 1: need to play ball whether you want to give your 485 00:28:08,640 --> 00:28:12,640 Speaker 1: Social Security number out or not. Tough, if you want 486 00:28:12,680 --> 00:28:15,560 Speaker 1: that internet service or that cable service, or you want 487 00:28:15,600 --> 00:28:18,600 Speaker 1: that haircut, you're gonna have to play ball. Yeah, it 488 00:28:18,640 --> 00:28:21,600 Speaker 1: was I remember growing up. It was a like I 489 00:28:21,640 --> 00:28:25,000 Speaker 1: remember I had a Social Security card and I remember 490 00:28:25,040 --> 00:28:27,480 Speaker 1: my mom being like, you gotta put that in your 491 00:28:27,480 --> 00:28:30,840 Speaker 1: desk royer. Remember, don't touch it. Ever, if somebody comes 492 00:28:30,880 --> 00:28:34,400 Speaker 1: near your your drawer, you shoot them with with this gun. Yeah, 493 00:28:34,440 --> 00:28:36,800 Speaker 1: it was crazy. And now it's just like I'd probably 494 00:28:36,800 --> 00:28:41,560 Speaker 1: give out my social like twice a month. Right. But 495 00:28:41,560 --> 00:28:44,920 Speaker 1: but because of those breaches, because so many people have 496 00:28:45,040 --> 00:28:47,960 Speaker 1: your Social Security number now, and because hackers have gotten 497 00:28:48,000 --> 00:28:50,400 Speaker 1: really good at getting into things like um, I think 498 00:28:50,440 --> 00:28:54,280 Speaker 1: it was Experience or TransUnion who were hacked in two 499 00:28:54,280 --> 00:28:57,840 Speaker 1: thousand seventeen. Yeah, that was huge. Um that that was 500 00:28:59,200 --> 00:29:01,600 Speaker 1: it was not only I read not only did it 501 00:29:01,640 --> 00:29:06,040 Speaker 1: basically just totally erode the public's trust and credit bureaus 502 00:29:06,120 --> 00:29:08,760 Speaker 1: to keep our stuff private, like they were the ones 503 00:29:08,840 --> 00:29:11,800 Speaker 1: who were supposed to be unhackable. And I think a 504 00:29:11,880 --> 00:29:15,840 Speaker 1: hundred and thirty seven million social security numbers made it 505 00:29:15,880 --> 00:29:21,080 Speaker 1: out into the wild from that hack. Um that that 506 00:29:21,080 --> 00:29:23,760 Speaker 1: that not only eroded trust in the credit bureaus, it 507 00:29:23,840 --> 00:29:26,240 Speaker 1: was the beginning of the end for using social security 508 00:29:26,360 --> 00:29:30,360 Speaker 1: numbers like we do to authenticate or as identify irs companies. 509 00:29:30,400 --> 00:29:32,680 Speaker 1: Some are moving away from that now, right, Yeah, because 510 00:29:32,680 --> 00:29:35,120 Speaker 1: they're getting sued and they're getting fines and they just 511 00:29:35,200 --> 00:29:38,080 Speaker 1: realized they can't keep this stuff protected. The problem is 512 00:29:38,160 --> 00:29:40,680 Speaker 1: no one knows what's next. A lot of people have 513 00:29:40,800 --> 00:29:44,400 Speaker 1: talked about like blockchain, but nobody understands blockchain, which, by 514 00:29:44,400 --> 00:29:48,160 Speaker 1: the way, we should totally do a blockchain episode. Um, 515 00:29:48,280 --> 00:29:50,480 Speaker 1: but everybody's kind of like, it's probably gonna be blockchain, 516 00:29:50,560 --> 00:29:52,480 Speaker 1: But first time to go figure out what blockchain is, 517 00:29:53,120 --> 00:29:55,360 Speaker 1: and then we'll figure out how to do social security 518 00:29:55,440 --> 00:29:58,120 Speaker 1: numbers through blockchain. I'm sure in some offices they're like, 519 00:29:58,160 --> 00:29:59,720 Speaker 1: you know, the old barcode on the back of the 520 00:29:59,760 --> 00:30:04,480 Speaker 1: neck seems silly, but surewood work. Have you seen Brazil? 521 00:30:05,360 --> 00:30:08,160 Speaker 1: Should we take a break? Oh yeah, let's all right. 522 00:30:08,240 --> 00:30:10,440 Speaker 1: Let's take another break, and we're gonna talk a little 523 00:30:10,440 --> 00:30:13,040 Speaker 1: bit about the rest of the world right after this 524 00:30:17,440 --> 00:30:45,800 Speaker 1: and things and chop and chock stop. So chuck, we're 525 00:30:45,800 --> 00:30:48,840 Speaker 1: going around the world in eighty days in our ninth 526 00:30:48,880 --> 00:30:51,680 Speaker 1: little balloon. Actually, I said, we're going to talk about 527 00:30:51,720 --> 00:30:52,920 Speaker 1: the rest of the world. We're only going to talk 528 00:30:52,920 --> 00:30:55,320 Speaker 1: about one more place in the world. Hey man, I 529 00:30:55,360 --> 00:31:01,480 Speaker 1: got Canada. Oh yeah, the UK. Okay. Basically, anywhere there's 530 00:31:01,200 --> 00:31:04,680 Speaker 1: a country with a bureaucracy, in a country where people die, 531 00:31:05,160 --> 00:31:08,280 Speaker 1: there's going to be someone erroneously listed as dead. All right, 532 00:31:08,360 --> 00:31:12,040 Speaker 1: so let's go to India. In India, it's not always 533 00:31:12,040 --> 00:31:16,920 Speaker 1: an accident. Uh, sometimes it's an error. But sometimes, um, 534 00:31:17,000 --> 00:31:19,360 Speaker 1: you can do what they call quote killing people on 535 00:31:19,440 --> 00:31:24,440 Speaker 1: paper end quote um in order to say their property 536 00:31:24,560 --> 00:31:29,040 Speaker 1: is mine, to lay claim to something legally, you can uh, 537 00:31:29,080 --> 00:31:31,600 Speaker 1: you can do so especially I mean they don't it's 538 00:31:31,600 --> 00:31:34,560 Speaker 1: not legal, but it's something that happens no, you can 539 00:31:34,600 --> 00:31:37,680 Speaker 1: bribe an official who will say, yeah, okay, yes, this 540 00:31:37,720 --> 00:31:41,000 Speaker 1: person is dead, thank you for reporting their death. Here 541 00:31:41,080 --> 00:31:45,920 Speaker 1: is their land or cousin or whoever. Well supposedly in 542 00:31:45,920 --> 00:31:50,920 Speaker 1: the um northern state of Uttar Pradesh. Um, it's become 543 00:31:50,920 --> 00:31:53,560 Speaker 1: a real problem there. Um. And there was a man 544 00:31:54,040 --> 00:31:59,000 Speaker 1: there is a man name Lal Bahari who in nineteen 545 00:31:59,080 --> 00:32:01,320 Speaker 1: seventy six at the just twenty two, found out he 546 00:32:01,360 --> 00:32:05,520 Speaker 1: was listed as dead and his uncle did his uncle 547 00:32:05,560 --> 00:32:07,440 Speaker 1: do this or did his uncle just get the land? 548 00:32:07,480 --> 00:32:10,880 Speaker 1: And his uncle's family, his uncle's family, they're the one 549 00:32:10,920 --> 00:32:14,280 Speaker 1: that that purposefully listed him as dead just so they 550 00:32:14,280 --> 00:32:16,200 Speaker 1: could get the land. Yep. He went to go get 551 00:32:16,200 --> 00:32:18,160 Speaker 1: a business loan. He was a loomer and he went 552 00:32:18,240 --> 00:32:20,680 Speaker 1: to get a business loan. And to get a business loan, 553 00:32:20,720 --> 00:32:23,880 Speaker 1: he needed documentation of his identity. When he went to 554 00:32:23,920 --> 00:32:28,520 Speaker 1: go get that, the local records office is like, you're dead. 555 00:32:29,160 --> 00:32:32,600 Speaker 1: And it took him seventeen years to undead himself. Yeah. 556 00:32:32,640 --> 00:32:36,000 Speaker 1: Fortunately for the world. He had a great sense of 557 00:32:36,640 --> 00:32:40,560 Speaker 1: um absurdity of humor like yes, but also like the 558 00:32:40,640 --> 00:32:44,040 Speaker 1: humor in absurdy, like he he realized, like this is 559 00:32:44,080 --> 00:32:48,000 Speaker 1: so preposterous, and he really used that as motivation to 560 00:32:48,120 --> 00:32:52,720 Speaker 1: make huge moves. Yeah, he would answer the phone, um 561 00:32:52,760 --> 00:33:00,760 Speaker 1: as dead person, which is uh talkin silent uh. He 562 00:33:00,760 --> 00:33:03,480 Speaker 1: would answer the phone like that. He organized the Uttar 563 00:33:03,520 --> 00:33:08,160 Speaker 1: Pradesh Reta Singh which is Udra Pradesh Dead People's Association, 564 00:33:08,840 --> 00:33:11,320 Speaker 1: And it seems like really brought a lot of like 565 00:33:11,880 --> 00:33:16,400 Speaker 1: attention to this through like almost like public absurdist public 566 00:33:16,400 --> 00:33:21,240 Speaker 1: demonstrations too. Yeah, like parades of dead people walking around 567 00:33:21,800 --> 00:33:24,360 Speaker 1: on the steps of like the government buildings and stuff 568 00:33:24,400 --> 00:33:30,240 Speaker 1: like that. And finally he did have his death overturned legally. Um, 569 00:33:30,400 --> 00:33:32,040 Speaker 1: did you see whether or not he got his land? 570 00:33:32,920 --> 00:33:36,200 Speaker 1: I didn't see that. Actually a great question. I didn't 571 00:33:36,200 --> 00:33:39,000 Speaker 1: even think about that, but yeah I I did not. 572 00:33:39,120 --> 00:33:44,080 Speaker 1: I don't know, but two people, um, because of his 573 00:33:44,160 --> 00:33:50,160 Speaker 1: efforts in that area of India where had their deaths overturned. Yeah, 574 00:33:50,920 --> 00:33:52,920 Speaker 1: that was just in one year. Even which why I 575 00:33:52,960 --> 00:33:55,560 Speaker 1: think is cool about him as he founded this organization 576 00:33:56,280 --> 00:34:00,400 Speaker 1: and got his life back in ninety four, it still 577 00:34:00,400 --> 00:34:03,000 Speaker 1: stayed on as the you know, the driving force behind 578 00:34:03,080 --> 00:34:08,040 Speaker 1: the Udhapradesh Dead Person's Association and won an ignoble prize 579 00:34:08,040 --> 00:34:11,040 Speaker 1: for it. Not bad. We did an episode on that too. 580 00:34:11,080 --> 00:34:14,319 Speaker 1: You remember the ignobles man. That was a long time ago. Yep. 581 00:34:15,080 --> 00:34:18,000 Speaker 1: So one more thing I we never really actually said 582 00:34:18,440 --> 00:34:21,440 Speaker 1: what to do if you end up listed incorrectly is 583 00:34:21,440 --> 00:34:24,240 Speaker 1: dead on the death Master file. Start answering the phone 584 00:34:24,320 --> 00:34:29,279 Speaker 1: is dead? Chuck, Yeah, exactly, shame the government. Also, the 585 00:34:29,320 --> 00:34:31,560 Speaker 1: other thing you're supposed to do first is go in 586 00:34:31,680 --> 00:34:34,799 Speaker 1: person to your local Social Security Administration. And by the way, 587 00:34:34,800 --> 00:34:37,400 Speaker 1: this is information directly from the s s A to 588 00:34:37,560 --> 00:34:42,120 Speaker 1: me to you, because I called them. The guy said, 589 00:34:42,239 --> 00:34:44,600 Speaker 1: just bring a driver's license at passport and we'll handle 590 00:34:44,600 --> 00:34:46,359 Speaker 1: it from there. And I was like, wait, that's it. 591 00:34:46,920 --> 00:34:51,240 Speaker 1: He's like, yeah, you know, the information matches, your picture matches. 592 00:34:51,560 --> 00:34:53,480 Speaker 1: That's all you need. And he said, and by handle it, 593 00:34:53,520 --> 00:34:56,279 Speaker 1: you'll mean nothing will happen here. That's right, right, And 594 00:34:56,320 --> 00:34:58,000 Speaker 1: I go, so do you give the person? So they 595 00:34:58,040 --> 00:35:01,879 Speaker 1: give you a letter saying this person's alive, they were 596 00:35:01,920 --> 00:35:06,200 Speaker 1: listed as deceased by mistake, give them their credit or whatever. Um, 597 00:35:06,400 --> 00:35:09,360 Speaker 1: we love you, so Security Administration And I said, do 598 00:35:09,400 --> 00:35:11,319 Speaker 1: you do you give the letter then once they prove 599 00:35:11,400 --> 00:35:14,719 Speaker 1: it or um. He's like no, once the file is updated, 600 00:35:14,719 --> 00:35:18,239 Speaker 1: then we typically send a letter out. And I was like, 601 00:35:18,360 --> 00:35:21,960 Speaker 1: how long is that, you know, And it's weeks easily, 602 00:35:22,239 --> 00:35:24,520 Speaker 1: if not months before you're going to get a letter. 603 00:35:24,719 --> 00:35:26,440 Speaker 1: But if you find out, the first thing you want 604 00:35:26,480 --> 00:35:28,719 Speaker 1: to do go to your local SO security office with 605 00:35:28,800 --> 00:35:33,640 Speaker 1: your passport and or your driver's license and say, surprise, yeah, 606 00:35:33,680 --> 00:35:35,560 Speaker 1: I saw that one person even had to have a 607 00:35:35,600 --> 00:35:40,800 Speaker 1: note from their doctor verifying that they were indeed alive. Weird, 608 00:35:41,239 --> 00:35:45,879 Speaker 1: weird life. That must be weird, gentry. So, uh, if 609 00:35:45,920 --> 00:35:48,360 Speaker 1: you want to know more about the death Master file, 610 00:35:48,800 --> 00:35:50,800 Speaker 1: you can go look it up. It's kind of interesting actually, 611 00:35:50,800 --> 00:35:53,919 Speaker 1: as far as bureaucracy goes. And since I said bureaucracy, 612 00:35:53,960 --> 00:36:00,000 Speaker 1: it's time for a listener, ma'am, I'm gonna call this um. 613 00:36:00,320 --> 00:36:02,200 Speaker 1: This is a follow up on the rape Kits episode, 614 00:36:02,239 --> 00:36:05,400 Speaker 1: which we got a lot of amazing and sad stories 615 00:36:05,440 --> 00:36:09,120 Speaker 1: from that one. Uh. This is about the money. The 616 00:36:09,200 --> 00:36:12,000 Speaker 1: money's because remember on the show we said that you know, 617 00:36:12,880 --> 00:36:18,320 Speaker 1: you don't you get to pay for that stuff for treatment? Yeah, 618 00:36:18,360 --> 00:36:20,480 Speaker 1: apparently you can get money back, which we've meant to 619 00:36:20,520 --> 00:36:22,600 Speaker 1: go back and re record a section and did not. 620 00:36:23,640 --> 00:36:25,480 Speaker 1: So this is by means of following up on that. 621 00:36:26,560 --> 00:36:29,279 Speaker 1: Hey guys, a longtime listener first time writer finished the 622 00:36:29,280 --> 00:36:31,839 Speaker 1: episode on rape kits and realize I could offer some 623 00:36:31,880 --> 00:36:34,799 Speaker 1: information that will hopefully bring some peace of mind. I 624 00:36:34,800 --> 00:36:37,560 Speaker 1: work as a medical biller for a hospital in the Midwest. 625 00:36:38,040 --> 00:36:40,840 Speaker 1: Part of my job is processing the sexual assault claims 626 00:36:40,840 --> 00:36:43,160 Speaker 1: that come in at our hospital. We have a program 627 00:36:43,239 --> 00:36:47,319 Speaker 1: for those who present to the hospital UH after a 628 00:36:47,360 --> 00:36:50,399 Speaker 1: sexual assault. We in partner with the state, cover all 629 00:36:50,400 --> 00:36:53,279 Speaker 1: the charges that result from the initially our visit, and 630 00:36:53,280 --> 00:36:56,080 Speaker 1: the patient has given a voucher for any relevant follow 631 00:36:56,160 --> 00:36:58,160 Speaker 1: up care that they may need over the next three months. 632 00:36:58,920 --> 00:37:01,239 Speaker 1: Is awesome. It is, and we realized that a lot 633 00:37:01,320 --> 00:37:04,760 Speaker 1: of states do this after we had recorded and published 634 00:37:04,760 --> 00:37:08,240 Speaker 1: the show. I'm so glad this person wrote in thould 635 00:37:08,360 --> 00:37:10,880 Speaker 1: say it is good to know. We also take steps 636 00:37:10,920 --> 00:37:13,439 Speaker 1: to ensure that the patient will never see a bill 637 00:37:14,000 --> 00:37:16,359 Speaker 1: or be contacted by our department regards to their visit 638 00:37:16,400 --> 00:37:20,319 Speaker 1: to reduce any re traumatization. I'm the point person for 639 00:37:20,320 --> 00:37:23,600 Speaker 1: this process here handle all the claims personally. I'm not 640 00:37:23,600 --> 00:37:25,919 Speaker 1: sure how many hospitals implement this program, but I hope 641 00:37:25,960 --> 00:37:28,560 Speaker 1: this helps you all know that at least here we 642 00:37:28,640 --> 00:37:31,360 Speaker 1: do as much as we can to alleviate any unnecessary 643 00:37:31,360 --> 00:37:34,480 Speaker 1: burden from our patients during the stressful and sensitive times. 644 00:37:35,280 --> 00:37:37,040 Speaker 1: Thanks for all you guys do. You have transformed many 645 00:37:37,120 --> 00:37:40,759 Speaker 1: days years spent in a cubicle into opportunities to learn. 646 00:37:41,160 --> 00:37:44,040 Speaker 1: Keep doing the great work. And that is from Maria. 647 00:37:44,400 --> 00:37:48,080 Speaker 1: Thank you very much. That was amazing. Yeah, Maria, thanks 648 00:37:48,120 --> 00:37:50,840 Speaker 1: for doing that job too. That's tough stuff. That was 649 00:37:50,880 --> 00:37:55,240 Speaker 1: the antithesis of another email we got who basically said, 650 00:37:55,560 --> 00:37:58,759 Speaker 1: regarding your little soapbox about how society should take on 651 00:37:58,800 --> 00:38:02,360 Speaker 1: that cost, keep your politics to yourself because I disagree. 652 00:38:03,000 --> 00:38:04,880 Speaker 1: I don't know if I saw that one. It was 653 00:38:04,920 --> 00:38:06,960 Speaker 1: a bad one and I just wanted to say that 654 00:38:06,960 --> 00:38:10,160 Speaker 1: that person is a butt head. Oh no, wait, maybe 655 00:38:10,200 --> 00:38:12,920 Speaker 1: I did see that. I couldn't even bring myself to respond. 656 00:38:13,000 --> 00:38:14,880 Speaker 1: I think I did, and I did respond. Oh what 657 00:38:14,960 --> 00:38:17,239 Speaker 1: did you say? I don't remember. Did you tell him 658 00:38:17,239 --> 00:38:20,719 Speaker 1: they were about hecko jump in a lake? There? You? Um? Well, 659 00:38:20,760 --> 00:38:23,160 Speaker 1: if you want to get in touch with us, whether 660 00:38:23,200 --> 00:38:25,080 Speaker 1: we think you're a butt head or a saint, it 661 00:38:25,120 --> 00:38:28,359 Speaker 1: doesn't matter. We still want to hear from you, you 662 00:38:28,960 --> 00:38:31,680 Speaker 1: can go on to stuffy sho dot com check out 663 00:38:31,719 --> 00:38:34,120 Speaker 1: our social links. You can also send us a good 664 00:38:34,160 --> 00:38:37,879 Speaker 1: old fashioned email wrap it up, spank it on the bottom, uh, 665 00:38:38,000 --> 00:38:41,360 Speaker 1: spray with perfume, and send it off to stuff podcast 666 00:38:41,640 --> 00:38:46,920 Speaker 1: at iHeart radio dot com. Stuff you Should Know is 667 00:38:46,920 --> 00:38:50,400 Speaker 1: a production of iHeart Radio. For more podcasts my heart Radio, 668 00:38:50,600 --> 00:38:53,600 Speaker 1: visit the i heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever 669 00:38:53,640 --> 00:38:55,080 Speaker 1: you listen to your favorite shows.