Scams taking SSD & a way to stop

Below is an article about scams that wind up getting your personal info and then the scammers contact the Social Security Administration and change the place where your SSD/SS direct payments are deposited (many times onto pre-paid cards).

You can scroll down in the article below to the part that offers you the opportunity to notify SSA that you do not want any changes to your account unless you appear in person with ID. This stops these scammers.

http://money.cnn.com/2012/09/26/pf/seniors-social-security-scam/index.html?hpt=hp_t3

I was reading on another site last night about this woman losing her case and when she googled her name her whole case,all the info,her name everything came up. She's livid. She called SS and they said it was legal for them to do it. Her lawyer can't help her and she said she's vcalled several places and she can't get it taken down. This is just awful. I guess we think it's all private info but it sounds like it's not.

I'm shocked to hear that an SSD case would end up on the internet with all the women's private info there for all to see.

There are two things that come to mind. When you call someone at SSA, you can make 15 calls and get 15 different answers.

It is possible that either their system was hacked or equipment stolen and then the thief loaded it onto the internet. OR

There may have been potential fraud and the woman was prosecuted by the law and then the SSA info was released somehow into public records as part of the legal case against her for fraud.

That her lawyer can't help her places big red flags for me and makes me wonder. The lawyer could at least give her names and places to call or to go to file complaints. She should contact all her Congressman about this.