Episode
Selects: What Happens When the Government Thinks You're Dead?
48:05
Published: Sat Jul 16 2022
Description
It’s bad enough when the government knows you’re alive – there are taxes to pay, laws to be followed, all sorts of boring and unpleasant things. But each year, thousands of Americans find out life is far, far worse when the government thinks you are dead. Learn all about it in this classic episode.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Chapters
Let's Start a Coup delves into the story of Smedley Butler and how he stood against a secret cabal's attempt to start a coup in the US, while Navigating Narcissism highlights red flags and shares stories from survivors who have navigated through toxic relationships.
00:00 - 01:36 (01:36)
Summary
Let's Start a Coup delves into the story of Smedley Butler and how he stood against a secret cabal's attempt to start a coup in the US, while Navigating Narcissism highlights red flags and shares stories from survivors who have navigated through toxic relationships. Stuff You Should Know Select episode discusses what happens when the government thinks you're dead.
EpisodeSelects: What Happens When the Government Thinks You're Dead?
PodcastStuff You Should Know
This podcast explains the purpose of social security numbers, which is to track lifetime earnings and determine retirement benefits.
01:36 - 03:47 (02:11)
Summary
This podcast explains the purpose of social security numbers, which is to track lifetime earnings and determine retirement benefits. The social security administration was created in 1936 to administer these benefits and there are about a billion possible combinations for the nine-digit number.
EpisodeSelects: What Happens When the Government Thinks You're Dead?
PodcastStuff You Should Know
The social security number is required for most financial and legal transactions in modern life, making it difficult to navigate without one.
03:47 - 06:22 (02:34)
Summary
The social security number is required for most financial and legal transactions in modern life, making it difficult to navigate without one. Companies have proved untrustworthy in protecting this sensitive information, leading to potential problems.
EpisodeSelects: What Happens When the Government Thinks You're Dead?
PodcastStuff You Should Know
The social security death index, also known as the death master file, can create issues for individuals once they are listed as deceased.
06:22 - 08:59 (02:37)
Summary
The social security death index, also known as the death master file, can create issues for individuals once they are listed as deceased. Although it is retired with a person's passing, it may lead to certain complications.
EpisodeSelects: What Happens When the Government Thinks You're Dead?
PodcastStuff You Should Know
The Death Master File was initially created by the Social Security Administration to track who was dead and who wasn't in order to pay benefits, and the public version of it can be accessed as a way to determine if someone is deceased.
09:00 - 12:43 (03:43)
Summary
The Death Master File was initially created by the Social Security Administration to track who was dead and who wasn't in order to pay benefits, and the public version of it can be accessed as a way to determine if someone is deceased. The Postal Service is mentioned as a source for reporting deaths, but it is not widely publicized.
EpisodeSelects: What Happens When the Government Thinks You're Dead?
PodcastStuff You Should Know
The Death Master File is available publicly and used by various entities such as banks, insurance companies, and employers.
12:43 - 18:27 (05:44)
Summary
The Death Master File is available publicly and used by various entities such as banks, insurance companies, and employers. However, there have been instances where individuals have been wrongfully listed as deceased, causing issues with government applications and benefits.
EpisodeSelects: What Happens When the Government Thinks You're Dead?
PodcastStuff You Should Know
There are around 2.7 million people in the US that die every year and get listed as deceased in government files.
18:27 - 23:57 (05:29)
Summary
There are around 2.7 million people in the US that die every year and get listed as deceased in government files. This can result in identity theft and fraud if someone tries to use your identity to claim benefits or commit crimes against the government.
EpisodeSelects: What Happens When the Government Thinks You're Dead?
PodcastStuff You Should Know
Being wrongly declared dead can lead to a range of issues like frozen bank accounts, loss of future credit, disability check disruption and difficulties in securing home loans or credit cards.
23:57 - 27:15 (03:18)
Summary
Being wrongly declared dead can lead to a range of issues like frozen bank accounts, loss of future credit, disability check disruption and difficulties in securing home loans or credit cards. This situation persists despite the inaccuracies acknowledged by the Social Security Administration.
EpisodeSelects: What Happens When the Government Thinks You're Dead?
PodcastStuff You Should Know
The Social Security Administration is undertaking reforms to investigate and correct wrongful death reports in their system, which have previously caused issues for individuals with imperfect credit reports.
27:16 - 31:58 (04:42)
Summary
The Social Security Administration is undertaking reforms to investigate and correct wrongful death reports in their system, which have previously caused issues for individuals with imperfect credit reports. They are relying on government databases to check their records against.
EpisodeSelects: What Happens When the Government Thinks You're Dead?
PodcastStuff You Should Know
The breaches of credit bureaus and the ease at which hackers can breach security systems have eroded trust in using social security numbers as identifiers.
31:58 - 36:43 (04:44)
Summary
The breaches of credit bureaus and the ease at which hackers can breach security systems have eroded trust in using social security numbers as identifiers. There have been talks of using blockchain as an alternative solution.
EpisodeSelects: What Happens When the Government Thinks You're Dead?
PodcastStuff You Should Know
The podcast discusses the public absurdist demonstrations and how errors in death listings are common in countries with bureaucracies and death.
36:43 - 41:26 (04:43)
Summary
The podcast discusses the public absurdist demonstrations and how errors in death listings are common in countries with bureaucracies and death.
EpisodeSelects: What Happens When the Government Thinks You're Dead?
PodcastStuff You Should Know
A listener who works in a hospital hopes to ease concerns about the empathy hospitals practice in the rape kit issue.
41:26 - 46:20 (04:53)
Summary
A listener who works in a hospital hopes to ease concerns about the empathy hospitals practice in the rape kit issue. Although not sure how many hospitals implement such programs, the speaker assures that facilities do what they can to alleviate any unnecessary burden from patients during that stressful and sensitive time.
EpisodeSelects: What Happens When the Government Thinks You're Dead?
PodcastStuff You Should Know
Joanne McNeil looks back on the early days of social media and the rise and eventual collapse of MySpace, the first major social media company.
46:20 - 47:26 (01:06)
Summary
Joanne McNeil looks back on the early days of social media and the rise and eventual collapse of MySpace, the first major social media company.