Social Security Misdirected an Estimated $2.2 Million in Benefit Payments, Audit Reveals

Direct deposit information of beneficiaries was updated without proper authorization, the agency’s Office of Inspector General said.

A Social Security Administration building in Waycross, Ga., on Aug. 28, 2024. Madalina Vasiliu/The Epoch Times

Social Security Administration (SSA) staff members made an estimated $2.2 million in ’misdirected' payments, according to a Sept. 8 audit report from the agency’s independent Office of the Inspector General (OIG).

Earlier, SSA allowed beneficiaries to update their direct deposit payment file via phone, with the caller confirming identity by sharing personally identifiable information stored with the agency, the report said.