DEO ID.me verification impossible with disconnected phone - need urgent workaround

same thing happened to my cousin last month, try borrowing someones phone and put ur sim card in it just long enough to get the texts

There's actually an alternative verification pathway for ID.me that doesn't require phone verification. When you start the ID.me process, after entering your email, look for the small text link that says "verify your identity another way" or "don't have a phone?" This will take you to a video chat verification option where you'll need your photo ID and social security card. You'll speak with a live "Trusted Referee" who can manually verify your identity. The wait times for the video chat can be 2-3 hours sometimes, but it's the official workaround for exactly your situation. Make sure you have good internet connection when you do this since you'll need to maintain the video call.

THE WHOLE SYSTEM IS DESIGNED TO MAKE U FAIL!!! I swear they INTENTIONALLY make the ID.me process impossible because they don't want to pay benefits!!! When my phone broke last year I had to wait 6 WEEKS to get paid because of this EXACT ISSUE!!! DEO doesn't care if ur homeless and starving as long as they save $$!!!

Have you tried reaching out to CareerSource Florida? They often have staff who can help with DEO verification issues and might be able to provide access to a phone for verification purposes. Some locations also offer computer workstations with webcams that you can use for the video verification option that was mentioned earlier. Another option is to contact ID.me support directly at help@id.me - they have specific protocols for people without phone access and can sometimes push your verification through manually with additional documentation. If you're really stuck, I'd recommend using Claimyr (claimyr.com) to get connected with a DEO agent who can explain all your options. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/UzW_hbUy-ss?si=zORd51jeq1GX5Ldj. It helped me get past a similar verification roadblock when my account was locked, and the DEO agent was able to note on my account that I was using alternative verification.

have u tried using google voice? its free and u can get texts on it thru wifi, might work for the verification

Just following up - were you able to get your verification completed through one of these methods? The video chat referee option should definitely work for your situation, but it does require patience with the wait times.

My sister had this problem when we were sharing a phone (mine broke) and she couldn't get the texts for verification. The video chat option worked but wow it took forever! Almost 4 hours waiting! But the ref was nice when he finally came on. Just make sure u have BOTH your ID and social security card ready or they won't verify u.

For anyone else finding this thread with the same problem: CALL YOUR STATE REPRESENTATIVE!!! They can push your verification through the system! I was stuck for WEEKS before I did this and then magically my account was verified within 48 hours after my rep's office called DEO!!!

One important detail about the ID.me video verification option: make sure you're initiating this process directly through the link in your CONNECT portal. If you just go to ID.me separately, the verification won't automatically link to your DEO account even if you complete it successfully. I made this mistake and had to do the whole process twice.

I'm so glad to see this thread helped you get through the verification process! The CareerSource suggestion was brilliant - they really are underutilized resources for these kinds of technical issues. For anyone else reading this who might be in a similar situation, I'd also recommend checking if your local library has phones available for public use. Some branches have phones specifically for people dealing with government services, and the librarians are usually pretty understanding about these kinds of urgent situations. The key thing is just getting access to ANY working phone number temporarily, even if it's not "yours" - as long as you can receive the verification text in real time, ID.me will accept it.