Social Security website now requiring ID.me driver's license photo and selfie - is this legit or a scam?
I've used my ID.me account to access my Social Security information online maybe 5-6 times over the past year with no issues. Today when I tried logging in through SSA.gov (same process as always), ID.me suddenly asked me to upload a photo of my driver's license AND take a selfie! This has never happened before and it made me really nervous about potential identity theft. The website looked legitimate - I made sure I was on the official SSA.gov site before I got redirected to ID.me, but this new photo requirement seems suspicious. Has anyone else experienced this? Did the verification requirements change recently? I don't want to upload my ID if this is some kind of phishing scam that's mimicking the real site.
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Oliver Cheng
This is completely legitimate. ID.me recently upgraded their security protocols for government sites, especially Social Security. I had to do the same thing last month when checking my retirement benefit estimates. It's actually a good thing - the extra verification steps help prevent someone else from accessing your Social Security information. The selfie is used for facial recognition matching with your ID to verify it's really you. I was hesitant at first too, but after researching it, I went ahead and completed the process without any issues.
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Ashley Simian
•Thank you! That makes me feel better about it. I was just shocked when it suddenly asked for these additional steps when I've been using the same login process for months. Did you have any problems after uploading your license photo?
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Taylor To
actualy its probly a scam!! my cousin got tricked by something similar and they stole her identity. SSA would NEVER ask for ur drivers license online. call the office directly!!!!
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Ella Cofer
•No, this is incorrect. The Social Security Administration officially partners with ID.me for identity verification. It's mentioned right on the SSA.gov website. Please don't spread misinformation that could prevent people from accessing their benefits information online.
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Kevin Bell
I went through this exact process about two weeks ago. The ID.me verification with photo ID and selfie is legitimate and is part of the SSA's enhanced security measures. The reason you're seeing it now when you didn't before is that they're implementing stricter identity verification requirements in phases. Some accounts are just now being required to complete the additional verification. The process takes about 5 minutes. Make sure you're in good lighting for the selfie portion. If the automated system has trouble verifying you, you might need to do a video call with an ID.me representative (I had to do this because my driver's license photo is quite old). One tip: after you complete this enhanced verification once, you shouldn't have to do it again unless you log in from a new device or clear your browser cookies.
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Ashley Simian
•Thanks for the detailed explanation! That makes sense about the phased implementation. I'll give it a try now that I know it's legitimate.
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Savannah Glover
This happened to me too!!! I freaked out at first but yes it's real. The government is getting stricter with online identity verification because of all the fraud happening with benefits. My neighbor works for SSA and confirmed they're using ID.me's enhanced verification now.
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Felix Grigori
•This is correct. As a retired benefits counselor, I can confirm that SSA has been upgrading their identity verification protocols. The ID.me partnership is legitimate and the driver's license/selfie verification is now standard procedure for accessing your MySocialSecurity account online. It's actually far more secure than the previous system of just username/password.
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Felicity Bud
If you're having trouble getting through to Social Security to verify whether this is legitimate, you might want to try using Claimyr. I had a similar concern about a verification issue and couldn't get through to SSA for days. I used the service at claimyr.com and they got me connected to a live SSA agent in about 30 minutes instead of waiting for hours. They have a video showing how it works here: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU. The agent confirmed that the ID.me verification process with license photo and selfie is their official procedure now.
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Ashley Simian
•I've never heard of this service before. Has anyone else used it? I'm a bit hesitant to try another new service when I'm already concerned about the ID.me changes.
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Ella Cofer
•I used Claimyr when I was trying to resolve an overpayment issue. It did work to get me through to someone at SSA much faster than when I tried calling on my own. If you're still uncomfortable with the ID.me process, getting confirmation directly from an SSA representative might help.
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Taylor To
The thing that worries me about all this is why do they keep changing the security requirements?? I had just gotten used to the old system and now they want pictures of my face?? What will they want next year? Blood samples?? 🤔
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Kevin Bell
•They're changing security requirements because identity theft and benefit fraud have increased dramatically in the past few years. The photo verification is actually standard practice now for many financial and government services. The alternative would be requiring in-person visits to SSA offices for all account access, which would be much more inconvenient for most people.
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Felix Grigori
To clarify some confusion in this thread: The Social Security Administration officially partnered with ID.me in 2021 as their identity verification provider. The implementation of enhanced verification requirements (including ID upload and selfie) has been rolled out gradually, which is why some users are only now encountering these steps. The verification process uses what's called "Knowledge-Based Verification" (your existing login credentials) plus "Document-Based Verification" (your driver's license) and "Biometric Verification" (your selfie). This multi-factor approach significantly reduces fraud risk. If you want to confirm this is legitimate, you can: 1. Call SSA directly at 1-800-772-1213 2. Visit your local SSA office in person 3. Check the official SSA.gov website's security section Rest assured this is a legitimate security upgrade, not a scam.
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Ashley Simian
•Thank you for this detailed explanation! I went ahead and completed the verification process and was able to access my account successfully. The process was actually pretty smooth once I got past my initial concerns.
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