The government established the Death Master File in 1980 to help businesses ferret out identity thieves. The File contains the names, birthdates and Social Security numbers of more than 90 million deceased Americans, and it is updated every week.
But the database’s availability on the Internet has allowed it to become a tool for those filing phony tax returns that claim other people’s dead children as dependents.
The Internal Revenue Service says 350,000 fraudulent returns using dead Americans were filed this tax season with the intention of stealing $1.25 billion in refunds.
In 2008, Social Security’s Inspector General’s Office issued a report urging the agency to wait at least a year before posting private information about Americans who have died.
-Noel Brinkerhoff, David Wallechinsky
