Social Security’s new anti-fraud measures start Monday. Here’s what you need to know

The Social Security Administration is set to implement on Monday new anti-fraud measures that have sparked widespread concern and confusion, heightened by the agency’s repeated changes to one of the new policies.

The Social Security Administration is set to implement on Monday new anti-fraud measures that have sparked widespread concern and confusion, heightened by the agency’s repeated changes to one of the new policies. Social Security will now conduct an anti-fraud check on all phone applications for benefits and flag claims that could be fraudulent. Those who are flagged must verify their identity in person. The agency is also implementing a new policy barring beneficiaries from changing their direct deposit information by telephone. Spurred by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency, the agency last month unveiled the two new efforts that it said were aimed at strengthening identity verification within the program. Advocates quickly slammed the measures, saying they would impede many Americans’ access to their Social Security payments. Fearing they could lose the monthly payments they depend on, many Social Security beneficiaries have been rushing to their local field offices, erroneously thinking that they need to verify their identity. Others are flooding the agency’s phone lines, asking questions about the new policies and demanding appointments to prove their identity. Social Security, which is undergoing a massive overhaul led by DOGE, has added to the confusion by backtracking twice on one of the policies in recent weeks. Initially, the agency said people would no longer be able to file for retirement and disability benefits over the telephone because it could not sufficiently verify applicants’ identities that way. Instead, they would have to use the online “my Social Security” website, which requires identity verification, or to come into a field office. The policy was set to take effect on March 31.