Correcting the Record About Social Security Direct Deposit and Telephone Services
Reading Time: 1 MinuteLast Updated: March 12, 2025
Recent reports in the media that Social Security plans to eliminate telephone services are inaccurate. SSA is increasing its protection for America’s seniors and other beneficiaries by eliminating the risk of fraud associated with changing bank account information by telephone.
SSA continuously investigates and analyzes potential threats to strengthen and secure our programs and protect people who receive benefits. Approximately 40 percent of Social Security direct deposit fraud is associated with someone calling SSA to change direct deposit bank information. SSA’s current protocol of simply asking identifying questions by telephone is no longer enough to prevent fraud.
If someone needs to change their bank account information on SSA’s record, they will need to either:
- Use two-factor authentication with SSA’s “my Social Security” service; or
- Visit a local Social Security office to prove their identity.
These methods align with most major banks.
All other SSA telephone services remain unchanged.
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Teddy B.
Thank you for the work you do for all of us. We appreciate you and hope the administration does not plunder the agency in ways that will negatively impact us and remove the great employees who work for the agency.
Aileen N.
To change my profile info, I had to call the Help Desk. After 20 min. I pressed the option for a call back. 3 hrs later I noticed I had received a call back 50 minutes ago. I didn’t realize my phone was on silence! I suggest a reminder during call back choice to have phone on silence. I called again & waited almost 2 hrs. Once I spoke with an agent, my questions were answered completely.
Thomas M.
For several months my ssi payment went direct to my BANK.Now the ss ofice says they put my pay on a direct express card and sent it to some address I don’t reside at.W.T.F.?
Shalom R.
Sounds like you may have been scammed or defrauded by someone calling SSA and PRETENDING, to be you. Call SSA and have them stop issuing any payments to the card. Ask them to reinstate your direct deposit. And you calling a credit bureau and request a fraud alert be placed on your main social security number and address. This is a free service. I had to do it once when I found out my social security number was exposed on the dark net. By putting it on one credit bureau with automatically goes to all the others. The alert lasts one year sometimes more depending on your personal situation. You can always extend it for a cost. The downside of the alert is that it will make it a little harder to you to open new accounts but I never found that a problem. Good luck all the best.