ID.me verification nightmare - can't access email and old phone number for EDD claim
I'm at my wit's end trying to help my boyfriend with his EDD claim filed on January 5th. We're completely stuck at the ID.me verification step and can't move forward. The system asks for his Gmail password which he doesn't remember, and when we try to recover it, ID.me sends verification codes to his old phone number that he no longer has access to! It's a ridiculous loop we can't escape from. His claim has been sitting there for almost 3 weeks now and we can't even check the status because we're blocked by ID.me. EDD support just keeps saying they can't help until ID.me verification is complete. I've submitted multiple help requests to ID.me but haven't heard anything back. Has anyone found a way to actually contact a human at ID.me or bypass this nightmare? We're getting desperate as bills are piling up.
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Laila Fury
omg same thing happend to me last month!! its sooo annoying right?? I think id.me is the WORST thing edd ever did. took me forever to fix
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Hazel Garcia
•How did you finally get it fixed? We've tried everything we can think of!
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Geoff Richards
You actually CAN get help from ID.me directly, but you need to go through their video verification process instead. Go to ID.me website (not through EDD), click on "Sign In" and then look for the option that says "Verify your identity on a video call" - this is their backup method when you can't access email/phone. You'll need to wait in a queue but at least you'll speak to a real person who can help override the email/phone verification. Make sure your boyfriend has his ID ready (driver's license or passport).
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Hazel Garcia
•Thank you so much for this information! I had no idea they offered video verification. We'll try this right away and hopefully get this sorted. Will he need his Social Security card too or just photo ID?
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Geoff Richards
•Just a government-issued photo ID should be sufficient, but having his Social Security card handy wouldn't hurt. The ID.me trusted referee will guide him through the process. Be prepared for potentially long wait times though - it can take 2-3 hours sometimes.
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Simon White
The ID.me system is TRASH!!! It's designed to make ppl give up on getting benefits they DESERVE!! I had to deal with this garbage last year and wasted TWO MONTHS trying to verify. My advice? Create a completely new Gmail account, then start the ID.me process fresh. That worked for me after all the "recovery" options failed. The EDD doesn't care that their system locks out legitimate claimants!!!!
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Hugo Kass
•Actually, creating a new Gmail account won't work in this situation because ID.me is already associated with the boyfriend's identity and original email. If they try with a new email, the system will flag it as a duplicate verification attempt, which could potentially trigger fraud alerts and make the situation worse. The video verification process that was suggested above is the correct approach when you're locked out of both email and phone recovery options.
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Nasira Ibanez
have u tried calling ID.me? they have a support number somewhere on there site. i think i had to dig for it but they do have phone support
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Khalil Urso
•I've been through this exact situation and unfortunately ID.me's phone support can't help with account recovery issues - they'll just direct you back to the automated system. The video verification option is really the only way to bypass the email/phone verification when you're locked out. One thing to note: if your boyfriend still has access to the Gmail account but just forgot the password, he should try Google's account recovery first directly through Google, not ID.me. That might be faster.
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Hugo Kass
When you get to the video verification part with ID.me, make sure your internet connection is stable and the lighting is good. They'll need to clearly see your boyfriend's face and ID document. Also, if you're still having trouble getting through to EDD after resolving the ID.me issue, I recommend trying Claimyr (claimyr.com). They have a service that helps you get through to an EDD representative much faster than calling directly. You can see how it works in their video demo: https://youtu.be/JmuwXR7HA10?si=TSwYbu_GOwYzt9km. Many people in this community have had success with it for resolving claim issues after verification.
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Laila Fury
•i used claimyr after my id.me mess and got thru to edd in like 20min!! before that i was calling for DAYS and couldnt get anyone
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Myles Regis
my cousin had this exact problem!!! he had to do a trusty trusted referee call with id.me took like 3 hrs waiting but they fixed it after that his claim went thru in like a week once that was done
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Hazel Garcia
•That's encouraging to hear! Did your cousin need to provide any specific documents during the trusted referee call besides his ID?
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Myles Regis
•just his drivers license i think. maybe ssn card too? not sure but they tell u what to have ready when u start the process
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Brian Downey
I went through this last year and spent 2 months trying to get my benefits. ID.me locked me out completely. Honestly what worked for me was going to my local EDD office in person. They have ways to help with ID.me issues that they don't tell you about over the phone. Might be worth a shot if the video verification doesn't work.
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Simon White
•THIS!!! The in-person option saved me too after fighting with their broken system forever!!! They don't advertise this because they WANT people to give up!!!
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Hazel Garcia
UPDATE: We finally got through the ID.me verification! The trusted referee video call worked perfectly. We waited about 2.5 hours in the queue, but the actual verification only took about 10 minutes once we got connected. The referee was able to override the email/phone verification and link everything to my boyfriend's new phone number. His EDD claim status is now showing as pending! Thank you everyone for your help and suggestions. For anyone else stuck in ID.me verification hell, the video call option is definitely the way to go when you can't access your email or recovery phone.
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Laila Fury
•yayyy!! so glad it worked out for u guys!! 👍👍
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