Social Security direct deposit - Need to change bank accounts ASAP after scam! Help!
My mother (74) just fell victim to a terrible phone scam yesterday. Someone claiming to be from her bank convinced her that her account was 'compromised' and that she needed to withdraw $4,800 to purchase gift cards as part of some 'security verification process.' The scammer stayed on the phone with her the entire time while she went to Nordstrom Rack and Lowe's to buy these gift cards. By the time I found out, she had already given the scammer all the card numbers and PINs. Now I'm panicking because her Social Security benefit ($2,375/month) is set for direct deposit into that same bank account on the 3rd. We absolutely need to change her bank information ASAP, but I'm training for a new job three states away and can't go with her to the Social Security office. Can we update her direct deposit information online through MySocialSecurity? How quickly would the change take effect? Would calling the SSA actually connect us with someone who could help, or would we just waste hours on hold? Has anyone successfully changed their direct deposit information quickly in an emergency situation like this? Any advice would be so appreciated - I'm really worried about her next payment ending up in a compromised account.
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Admin_Masters
so sorry this hapened to your mom... my aunt went thru similar last year :( unfortunately you cant do direct deposit changes online right now... SSA disabled that feature for security reasons. you need to either call them or go in person. try calling VERY EARLY when they open, like 9:01am. or try at like 3pm sometimes less busy then.
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Charlotte White
•Thank you for the info! Do you know how long it typically takes for a direct deposit change to go into effect once they process it? Her next payment is only 10 days away and I'm really worried.
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Matthew Sanchez
I work at a financial institution and handle these cases regularly. Your mother needs to: 1. Close her current account and open a new one immediately (don't just change account numbers at the same bank - they should issue completely new account numbers) 2. Call Social Security at 1-800-772-1213 as soon as possible to change her direct deposit information. Have her new account information ready. 3. File a police report about the scam for documentation purposes. 4. Contact the gift card companies directly - some have fraud departments that can sometimes freeze funds if they haven't been spent. Changes to direct deposit usually take effect within 1-3 business days after SSA processes them, but the key is getting through to them quickly. If you wait until the last minute, you risk the payment going to the old account.
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Charlotte White
•Thank you for this detailed response. We did get her a new account number yesterday after some pushback from the bank manager (who initially tried to tell us it wasn't necessary). I'll have her call SSA today. Do you know if changes made by phone are processed faster than those made in person?
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Matthew Sanchez
•Both methods have similar processing times once entered into their system. The challenge is getting through on the phone - it can take hours of holding. In-person is more predictable if she can get to an office, but either way works. The most important thing is documenting everything - get confirmation numbers and names of representatives she speaks with. And make sure her bank has completely blocked the old account from any withdrawals.
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Ella Thompson
I had to change my direct deposit last year when my credit union changed their routing numbers. I used a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) to get through to SSA quickly - they charged a fee but got me connected to an agent in about 15 minutes instead of waiting for hours. They've got a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU Once I actually got through to a person, the change was processed quickly and my next payment went to the new account without issues. Given your mom's situation, it might be worth it to avoid the typical 2+ hour wait times.
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JacksonHarris
•does that really work???
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Ella Thompson
•It did for me. I was skeptical too but after spending an entire morning trying to get through the regular way, I gave it a try. Much better than taking a day off work to visit the local office, which had a 3-week wait for appointments when I checked.
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Jeremiah Brown
EXACTLY the same thing happened to my husband!!! Those scammers are EVERYWHERE!! We lost $5200 in gift cards to Target and Amazon! I went to the SSA office in person the next day and they were actually very helpful - they flagged his account for potential identity theft and changed the direct deposit info right there. BUT it STILL took until the NEXT payment cycle to take effect. So if your mom's payment is coming in 10 days, you might not get the change in time. Maybe have your mom go to her bank and see if they can put some kind of temporary fraud alert or hold on the account? That way if the SS payment does go there, at least the scammers can't get to it?
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Charlotte White
•That's exactly what I'm afraid of - that the change won't happen in time. I'll definitely suggest putting a fraud alert on the old account as a backup plan. Did you ever recover any of the gift card money?
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Jeremiah Brown
•Nope! Target basically said too bad, so sad. Amazon was a little more sympathetic but still said once the cards are used theres nothing they can do. The police just took a report but said they almost never catch these people. So frustrating! At least we got the SS payments secured eventually.
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Royal_GM_Mark
There's a critical distinction to be aware of regarding Social Security payments and compromised accounts. If your mother's account was truly compromised (meaning someone gained unauthorized access), that's different from her being scammed into willingly withdrawing money and purchasing gift cards. From SSA's perspective, her account isn't necessarily "compromised" in the technical sense. The account itself may still be secure, but she was manipulated into removing funds. However, since scammers now have her account information, it's absolutely correct to change it. You should: 1. Have your mother visit her local SSA office in person with ID and her new account information. This is the fastest way to process a direct deposit change. 2. File Form SSA-1199 (Direct Deposit Sign-Up Form) while there. 3. Request an "immediate critical payment change" due to fraud concerns. 4. Follow up by phone 48 hours later to confirm the change has been processed. If the change isn't processed in time for her next payment, contact the bank immediately to have them place a hold on those funds or redirect them to her new account.
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Charlotte White
•Thank you for this detailed explanation. I didn't know about requesting an "immediate critical payment change" - that's exactly the kind of language we need to use. My mother has mobility issues which makes getting to the SSA office difficult, but I'll see if a family friend can take her if the phone route doesn't work out.
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Amelia Cartwright
my grandma got scammed to by someone pretending to be from SSA!!!! they said her number was used for drug trafficking in texas lol. she almost fell for it but thank god i was there. these people target seniors because they get confused easily. your mom needs to freeze her credit reports RIGHT NOW at all 3 bureaus and put a fraud alert on. and if she has medicare make sure nobodys using her number for fake medical claims thats huge now to
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Charlotte White
•That's a good point about freezing her credit reports - I didn't even think about that angle. I'll help her do that today. These scammers are so predatory going after seniors.
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JacksonHarris
can she still have a friend go with her to the office on her behalf ? thats what i did for my brother he had a stroke and couldnt go to ss office so i took his id and they let me handle it
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Royal_GM_Mark
•This is partially correct, but there are specific requirements. To act on someone else's behalf at an SSA office, you need to be either: 1. A designated representative (with a signed SSA-1696 form) 2. An appointed representative payee 3. Someone with power of attorney (plus SSA's additional documentation) Simply taking someone's ID isn't officially sufficient, though some offices may be more lenient than others. The safest approach is to complete form SSA-1696 (Appointment of Representative) before visiting.
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Admin_Masters
btw dont feel bad my dad fell for a simillar scam last year... these scammers are GOOD at what they do. they know exactly what to say to scare seniors. they stay on the phone so the person cant call family to check. and they create fake urgency so people dont think straight. its not your moms fault!!!
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Charlotte White
•Thank you for saying this. She's been so embarrassed and keeps apologizing. I'm trying to reassure her that these scammers are professionals and this happens to smart people all the time.
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