Several prominent groups of genealogists have created a petition to stop the federal government from removing the information that is on the Social Security Death Index from public view. They feel that genealogists are not to blame for the SSDI being used to commit tax fraud, and have suggestions about how the government can use the SSDI to prevent tax fraud from happening. The Social Security Death Index (SSDI) was originally created in 1980. It has the names, birth dates, and social security numbers of more than 90 million deceased Americans. The information in the SSDI became available under the … Continue reading →

Some genealogy websites have decided to stop listing Social Security numbers online. Those numbers can be really useful for genealogists who are working on their family trees. Unfortunately, those numbers can also be used by thieves who want to commit identity theft. One of the resources that genealogy websites use is something called The Social Security Death Index. Insurance companies use it too, but not for the same reason that genealogists use it. Insurers who sell life insurance use the Death Master File database to determine if policyholders have passed away. Genealogists use it to locate the Social Security number … Continue reading →

The Social Security Death Index is a great resource for genealogists. It can be used to validate the research that a genealogist has already completed. Unfortunately, there are thieves who are using this same database to commit tax fraud and identify theft. The Death Master File is a database that was created in 1980. It contains the names, birth dates, and Social Security numbers of more than 90 million deceased Americans. It became accessible under the Freedom of Information Act because businesses in the United States wanted to use it as a tool against identity theft. The Social Security Death … Continue reading →