Is anyone concerned about DOGE targeting US Soc Sec direct deposit into Thai accounts?

[exant]

message from a retired USA on a farm in Thailand.. Testing 1  2   3  facts my post was deleted because i forwarded FBU SSA.  publicly open email contacts

 

 

 

[bamnutsak]

One analysis is that the plan is to hobble SSA which interrupts payouts, thereby causing the general public to lose confidence in its ability to pay out benefits.

 

Then SSA can be privatized.

 

 

[JimHuaHin]

I am not in your situation, but .... I would give some thought to what alternatives you may enact if Musk or Trump decide to kill US pensions/benefits paid into OS accounts.

 

These are troubling times and no one whose who next will be targeted or terminated by Musk-Trump-Vance.

[Galong]

13 hours ago, JimHuaHin said:

I am not in your situation, but .... I would give some thought to what alternatives you may enact if Musk or Trump decide to kill US pensions/benefits paid into OS accounts.

 

These are troubling times and no one whose who next will be targeted or terminated by Musk-Trump-Vance.

I like the convenience and the fact that the Thai gov sees this is my SS income.  I've got a Schwab account. I wonder how long it would take to swap over given the cut in staffing at the SSA.   On the My Social Security site when I go to the part where you change financial institutions it says "contact us". I hope this isn't a long queue phone call. 

[Yellowtail]

2 minutes ago, Galong said:

I like the convenience and the fact that the Thai gov sees this is my SS income.  I've got a Schwab account. I wonder how long it would take to swap over given the cut in staffing at the SSA.   On the My Social Security site when I go to the part where you change financial institutions it says "contact us". I hope this isn't a long queue phone call. 

Is there a government website in the US that is not a POC? 

 

 

[Galong]

I want to switch from Direct Deposit into my BKK Bank to my US Schwab account. There is no apparent way to do this online. I called the 800 number and they said the estimated waiting time was over 70 minutes!  Is this something that the Manila office handles? They set up my Direct Deposit, so I'm guessing they do financial institution changes.  Have any of you tried to do this before?  Thanks.

[Yellowtail]

15 hours ago, Galong said:

I want to switch from Direct Deposit into my BKK Bank to my US Schwab account. There is no apparent way to do this online. I called the 800 number and they said the estimated waiting time was over 70 minutes!  Is this something that the Manila office handles? They set up my Direct Deposit, so I'm guessing they do financial institution changes.  Have any of you tried to do this before?  Thanks.

I think the Manila office is worth a try. At least you can use email. They helped me with a few things. 

 

The phone wait times have been horrendous at least since covid. 

[exant]

 

[Jingthing]

The guy now running SS has announced that the DOGE boys don't know anything about how SS actually works so that inevitably big mistakes will be made as normal processes for changes are out the window.

So anything can happen. Be prepared.

This reminds me yet again of the Maoist cultural revolution where young ideologues replaced people that actually had expertise.

Smash it all! Oh boy. It's maga-rific.

[mogandave]

10 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

The guy now running SS has announced that the DOGE boys don't know anything about how SS actually works so that inevitably big mistakes will be made as normal processes for changes are out the window.

So anything can happen. Be prepared.

This reminds me yet again of the Maoist cultural revolution where young ideologues replaced people that actually had expertise.

Smash it all! Oh boy. It's maga-rific.

Who’s running Social Security now?

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

On 2/24/2025 at 7:38 AM, Galong said:

More info acquired through ChatGPT:
  

As of February 16, 2025, Leland Dudek is the acting commissioner of the SSA. Before snagging the top spot, Dudek was the mastermind behind the agency's anti-fraud operations. He's known for his tech-savvy approach and a relentless drive to root out fraud. Interestingly, Dudek was previously put on administrative leave for bypassing agency protocols to collaborate with Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Now, he's running the show.

en.wikipedia.org

 

 

 

Can people trust Musk's DOGE minions to have the slightest clue of what really occurs with Social Security?  I'd say NOT!

 

For example, in the latest news:

 

DOGE is driving Social Security cuts and will make mistakes, acting head says privately

 

The Social Security Administration’s acting commissioner said members of Elon Musk’s cost-cutting team are outsiders who are unfamiliar with the nuances of the agency’s programs.

 

"The newly installed caretaker at the Social Security Administration acknowledged this week that Elon Musk’s U.S. DOGE Service is calling the shots as the agency races to slash thousands of jobs and shrink its budget, telling a group of advocates, “Things are currently operating in a way I have never seen in government before.” [emphasis added]

 

In a meeting Tuesday with his senior staff and about 50 legal-aid attorneys and other advocates for the disabled and elderly, acting SSA commissioner Leland Dudek referred to the tech billionaire’s cost-cutting team as “outsiders who are unfamiliar with nuances of SSA programs,” according to detailed notes from a participant in the meeting obtained by The Washington Post.

 

“DOGE people are learning and they will make mistakes, but we have to let them see what is going on at SSA,” Dudek told the group, according to the notes. “I am relying on longtime career people to inform my work, but I am receiving decisions that are made without my input. I have to effectuate those decisions.”

 

(more)

 

https://archive.ph/1Yi8g

 

All of the above is hardly reassuring for anyone who's a Social Security recipient, current or future.

 

 

And this above comes on the heels of Trump's speech to Congress where he repeated false misinformation alleging fraud and waste presumably produced by DOGE that is flawed because of flawed/missing info in the Social Security's databases, which have failed to accurately record the people's actual birth dates, leading Trump to falsely claim that huge numbers of presumably dead people were still being paid SS benefits.

 

Per the AP's fact check report giving Trump's false Social Security claims and how/why they were mistaken:

 

"There’s no evidence Social Security money is being paid to many people over age 100

 

TRUMP: “Believe it or not, government databases list 4.7 million Social Security members from people aged 100 to 109 years old. It lists 3.6 million people from ages 110 to 119. ... 3.47 million people from ages 120 to 129. 3.9 million people from ages 130 to 139. 3.5 million people from ages 140 to 149. And money is being paid to many of them, and we are searching right now.”

 

THE FACTS: The databases may list those people, but that does not mean they are getting paid benefits.

 

Part of the confusion comes from Social Security’s software system based on the COBOL programming language, which doesn’t use a specific format for dates. This means that some entries with missing or incomplete birthdates will default to a reference point of more than 150 years ago. The news organization Wired first reported on the use of COBOL programming language at the Social Security Administration."

 

But DOGE's dimwits dealing with Social Security either A] didn't bother to take the time and effort to actually what was going on with those numbers and why they were wrong, or B] they knew the data they were reporting was wrong and didn't care because it would give Trump another false talking point to assail Social Security over.

 

CNN's fact check report had a milder takedown of Trump's false Trump's Social Security claims:

 

"Social Security benefits: In an extended claim, Trump said 4.7 million people who are at least 100 years old are still listed in the Social Security Administration’s database and that “money is being paid to many of them.” However, this claim needs context.

The vast majority of these people do not have dates of death listed in Social Security’s database. But that doesn’t mean they are actually receiving monthly benefits.

 

Public data from the Social Security Administration shows that about 89,000 people age 99 or over were receiving Social Security benefits in December 2024, not even close to the millions Trump invoked. [emphasis added]

 

https://www.cnn.com/2025/03/04/politics/fact-check-trump-address-congress/index.html

 

[mogandave]

2 minutes ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

 

Can people trust Musk's DOGE minions to have the slightest clue of what really occurs with Social Security?  I'd say NOT!

 

For example, in the latest news:

 

DOGE is driving Social Security cuts and will make mistakes, acting head says privately

 

The Social Security Administration’s acting commissioner said members of Elon Musk’s cost-cutting team are outsiders who are unfamiliar with the nuances of the agency’s programs.

 

"The newly installed caretaker at the Social Security Administration acknowledged this week that Elon Musk’s U.S. DOGE Service is calling the shots as the agency races to slash thousands of jobs and shrink its budget, telling a group of advocates, “Things are currently operating in a way I have never seen in government before.” [emphasis added]

 

In a meeting Tuesday with his senior staff and about 50 legal-aid attorneys and other advocates for the disabled and elderly, acting SSA commissioner Leland Dudek referred to the tech billionaire’s cost-cutting team as “outsiders who are unfamiliar with nuances of SSA programs,” according to detailed notes from a participant in the meeting obtained by The Washington Post.

 

“DOGE people are learning and they will make mistakes, but we have to let them see what is going on at SSA,” Dudek told the group, according to the notes. “I am relying on longtime career people to inform my work, but I am receiving decisions that are made without my input. I have to effectuate those decisions.”

 

(more)

 

https://archive.ph/1Yi8g

 

All of the above is hardly reassuring for anyone who's a Social Security recipient, current or future.

 

 

And this above comes on the heels of Trump's speech to Congress where he repeated false misinformation alleging fraud and waste presumably produced by DOGE that is flawed because of flawed/missing info in the Social Security's databases, which have failed to properly record the actual dates people died, leading Trump to falsely claim that huge numbers of presumably dead people were still being paid SS benefits.

 

Per the AP's fact check report giving Trump's false Social Security claims and how/why they were mistaken:

 

"There’s no evidence Social Security money is being paid to many people over age 100

 

TRUMP: “Believe it or not, government databases list 4.7 million Social Security members from people aged 100 to 109 years old. It lists 3.6 million people from ages 110 to 119. ... 3.47 million people from ages 120 to 129. 3.9 million people from ages 130 to 139. 3.5 million people from ages 140 to 149. And money is being paid to many of them, and we are searching right now.”

 

THE FACTS: The databases may list those people, but that does not mean they are getting paid benefits.

 

Part of the confusion comes from Social Security’s software system based on the COBOL programming language, which doesn’t use a specific format for dates. This means that some entries with missing or incomplete birthdates will default to a reference point of more than 150 years ago. The news organization Wired first reported on the use of COBOL programming language at the Social Security Administration."

 

But DOGE's dimwits dealing with Social Security either A] didn't bother to take the time and effort to actually what was going on with those number and why they were wrong, or B] they knew the data they were reporting was wrong and didn't care because it would give Trump another false talking point to assail Social Security over.

 

CNN's fact check report had a milder takedown of Trump's false Trump's Social Security claims:

 

"Social Security benefits: In an extended claim, Trump said 4.7 million people who are at least 100 years old are still listed in the Social Security Administration’s database and that “money is being paid to many of them.” However, this claim needs context.

The vast majority of these people do not have dates of death listed in Social Security’s database. But that doesn’t mean they are actually receiving monthly benefits.

Public data from the Social Security Administration shows that about 89,000 people age 99 or over were receiving Social Security benefits in December 2024, not even close to the millions Trump invoked. [emphasis added]

 

https://www.cnn.com/2025/03/04/politics/fact-check-trump-address-congress/index.html

 

I trust them. 

 

Harris, Walz and Soros? Not so much. 

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

33 minutes ago, mogandave said:

Who’s running Social Security now?

 

Apparently, Elon Musk and his minions, ever since the original agency head resigned after refusing to give Musk's team access to data that was deemed private under federal law. And then the Trump admin appointed a mid-level agency bureaucrat as the current acting director -- a guy who had been placed on admin leave and was potentially facing losing his job just days earlier for allegedly giving Musk's team improper access to confidential SS data.

 

Per the Washington Post:

 

"The newly installed caretaker at the Social Security Administration acknowledged this week that Elon Musk’s U.S. DOGE Service is calling the shots as the agency races to slash thousands of jobs and shrink its budget, telling a group of advocates, “Things are currently operating in a way I have never seen in government before.” [emphasis added]

 

In a meeting Tuesday with his senior staff and about 50 legal-aid attorneys and other advocates for the disabled and elderly, acting SSA commissioner Leland Dudek referred to the tech billionaire’s cost-cutting team as “outsiders who are unfamiliar with nuances of SSA programs,” according to detailed notes from a participant in the meeting obtained by The Washington Post.

 

“DOGE people are learning and they will make mistakes, but we have to let them see what is going on at SSA,” Dudek told the group, according to the notes. “I am relying on longtime career people to inform my work, but I am receiving decisions that are made without my input. I have to effectuate those decisions.”

 

(more)

 

https://archive.ph/1Yi8g

[NoDisplayName]

On 2/23/2025 at 9:43 PM, Galong said:

I have been getting my Social Security paid directly into a Bangkok Bank direct deposit account for 3-ish years. I'm slightly concerned with the DOGE purge targeting SS checks going into foreign accounts. Does anyone else feel like this might be a yellow or red flag?  I like the convenience of direct deposit. I already know someone is going to tell me it's not the most cost-effective way. I don't care. I like the status quo. 

 

Shouldn't be a problem.  You fill out and return the proof of life forms when prompted, right?  In that case, your files are in order, and no red flags.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

Per the Associated Press:

 

Tens of millions of dead people aren’t getting Social Security checks, despite Trump and Musk claims

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration is falsely claiming that tens of millions of dead people over 100 years old are receiving Social Security payments.

 

Over the past few days, President Donald Trump and billionaire adviser Elon Musk have said on social media and in press briefings that people who are 100, 200 and even 300 years old are improperly getting benefits — a “HUGE problem,” Musk wrote, as his Department of Government Efficiency digs into federal agencies to root out waste, fraud and abuse.

 

It is true that improper payments have been made, including some to dead people. But the numbers thrown out by Musk and the White House are overstated and misrepresent Social Security data.

 

(more)

 

https://apnews.com/article/social-security-payments-deceased-false-claims-doge-ed2885f5769f368853ac3615b4852cf7

 

The lunatics are now running the show under Trump and Musk... and anyone actually relying on the federal government these days ought to be very concerned.

 

 

[NoDisplayName]

57 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

The guy now running SS has announced that the DOGE boys don't know anything about how SS actually works so that inevitably big mistakes will be made as normal processes for changes are out the window.

So anything can happen. Be prepared.

This reminds me yet again of the Maoist cultural revolution where young ideologues replaced people that actually had expertise.

Smash it all! Oh boy. It's maga-rific.

 

Karma?

 

It reminds me yet again of the Wokeist cultural devolution where inexperienced, racist, diverse ideologues replaced people that actually had expertise.

 

Burn it down!  Fight the patriarchy!

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

And meanwhile, in the real world, government administrators with many years of experience heading the Social Security Admin have been / are being forced out, and the agency for the time being in effectively being run by a bunch of Musk-ites who pretty much have no real knowledge or expertise in Social Security matters at all.

 

Scary!

 

But I've never heard anyone refer to Musk and Co. -- who are doing all the "replacing," -- as "Wokeist cultural devolution" and "inexperienced, racist, diverse ideologues."

 

[mogandave]

15 minutes ago, NoDisplayName said:

 

Karma?

 

It reminds me yet again of the Wokeist cultural devolution where inexperienced, racist, diverse ideologues replaced people that actually had expertise.

 

Burn it down!  Fight the patriarchy!

“It is true that improper payments have been made, including some to dead people. But the numbers thrown out by Musk and the White House are overstated and misrepresent Social Security data.”

 

 

[worgeordie]

Well he has to find the trillions in tax breaks for his Billionaire friends from some where 

he says he would not touch SS , but you must know  by now the man is a liar ,And you

think Must gives a xxxx about you. Good luck. God save America .

 

regards worgeordie

[GroveHillWanderer]

Elon Musk has said on more than one occasion, that he considers Social Security to be not just a Ponzi scheme, but the biggest Ponzi scheme of all time.

 

Given Musk's commitment to cutting a trillion dollars from US government spending, if I were a US citizen receiving Social Security payments that would not exactly fill me with confidence that he is not going to look at it for potential cuts.

 

Musk Once Again Calls Social Security 'The Biggest Ponzi Scheme Of All Time,' Struggles To Explain To Joe Rogan Why

 

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/elon-musk-once-again-calls-010040388.html