Imagine opening a letter from Social Security and discovering that the government wants information confirming that you’re still eligible to receive your monthly benefit. It sounds like the setup for a scam, but there are legitimate circumstances in which the Social Security Administration may need to verify that a beneficiary is alive. That doesn’t mean retirees routinely have to march into a Social Security office every year with identification in hand. The issue most often comes up when someone lives outside the United States or when SSA’s records contain conflicting or incorrect death information. Knowing how Social Security proof of life procedures actually work can help you respond to a legitimate request without handing personal information to an impostor.
