It's pretty straightforward: Identity thieves get their hands on the personal information they need, like a full name and bank account number. Then they contact the Social Security Administration and request that payments be rerouted to their own accounts.
That's what happened to 64-year-old William Combs, a disabled Vietnam War veteran from Brookville , Ohio
Combs said he immediately notified each agency about his missing payments. While he eventually received his tax refund, he still hasn't received the $5,400 in Veteran's disability payments that disappeared earlier this year. And it took about a month for him to get his $2,000 Social Security payment, after his benefits check didn't show up in the mail in August.
"My landlady is going to kick me out ... I went a whole month with nothing to eat but peanut butter and crackers," said Combs. "I had to take a loan from a credit union to pay rent one month, and I had to borrow money from my daughter to pay rent the other months -- and that's the last thing in the world you should do. I was crying when I asked her."
The Social Security Administration said it can't comment on or verify individual cases.
This article was copied from the CNN's website: http://www.money.cnn.com/2012/09/26/pf/seniors-social-security-scam/index.html
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