Thread: S. Africans asked to check if they are legally alive

S.Africans asked to check if they are legally alive

Tue Mar 17, 9:23 am ET AFP/File –

CAPE TOWN (AFP) – South Africans are being urged to confirm whether they are officially alive, as the beleaguered home affairs department attempts to do away with "fraudulent deaths", government said Tuesday.

"We really call upon citizens to confirm your alive status," local government minister Richard Baloyi told a press conference.

A special call centre has been set up for South Africans to check if they have been wrongly declared dead -- an increasingly common problem with identity theft by criminals trying to benefit from life insurance, he said.

Baloyi also urged citizens to check if they legally married, as criminals are also engaging in identity theft to arrange fake marriages for migrants seeking citizenship.

"You may find out you are married more than once," he said.

South Africa's home affairs department has been crippled by corruption and inefficiency.

In 2005 a young man won the sympathy of many South Africans when he held a home affairs official hostage, with a fake gun, demanding his identity document after a two-year wait for the ID book which is vital in every aspect of daily life.

Concerns that South African passports could be easily obtained by bribing officials recently led Britain to impose a visa requirement on its former colony.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20090317/od ... 0317132423

How many people have already used these fake IDs, visas and passports to come to the U.S. ?

Sorry for the laughter (with tears) but this is serious. I am still alive, according to my doctor and the ability to drive to the grocery and buy things. I have no idea how many husbands I might have that I never met. And my late father (who passed in 2002) may still be out there working in some identity fraud ring. Thinking back, it is amazing all the places that have my full SSN and name, starting with utilities, banks, credit companies, healthcare and insurances. Even a driver's license from the 1970s had my full SSN. It has come to the point that while I may still be alive, I could also be working in six states at once, while married to a hundred illegals.

Originally Posted by vortex

Sorry for the laughter (with tears) but this is serious. I am still alive, according to my doctor and the ability to drive to the grocery and buy things. I have no idea how many husbands I might have that I never met. And my late father (who passed in 2002) may still be out there working in some identity fraud ring. Thinking back, it is amazing all the places that have my full SSN and name, starting with utilities, banks, credit companies, healthcare and insurances. Even a driver's license from the 1970s had my full SSN. It has come to the point that while I may still be alive, I could also be working in six states at once, while married to a hundred illegals.

I called a dentist I had never been to to make an appointment. The first thing the receptionist asked for was my ss#, which I refused to give her. She said that was how they identify me and I must give it to her. I told her to shove it.

I also work for a nationwide company answering phones. This company, of course, takes credit cards. It amazes me how many people call with questions about their credit card, which is issued by another (credit card) company and want to give me their social security number or credit card number. Not long ago, I got a call from a woman in India who worked for a "privacy protection" company and was calling on behalf of one of our customers regarding a purchase she had made. The woman from India offerred the customer's credit card number to me...the receptionist.