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(Photo illustration by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
One Missouri woman has been trying to reclaim her life since she was given the social security number of a deceased person 16 years ago.
According to The Independent, the old number that she was given has kept her from graduating college and qualifying for a mortgage.
Carthen called the mistake “a haunting” and said things didn’t get better when she first found out that she was on the list that tracks those who are deceased with social security numbers.
“Well, it got worse because it wasn’t creditors. Being in the Death Master File, it went to the IRS, it went to the Department of Homeland Security, it went to E-verify, all of these things. It just started affecting my life. It’s just a matter before my Social Security number catches up with me, and then they have to let me go … HR can’t process payroll,” describing the challenge she has faced with keeping a job due to the error.
While an SSA spokesperson told KSDK in an email that its records are “highly accurate,” the administration’s website guides what to do for people who may also find themselves in the same situation as Carthen.
Source: Black Enterprise
