AUSTIN, Minn. – A 54-year-old woman has been charged with fraud for posing as her mother for more than 25 years and withdrawing her Social Security benefits.
The woman’s mother died in January 1999, according to charging documents.
However, officials say the Social Security Administration was never notified of her death, so the agency continued to deposit benefits into the mother’s bank account.
The woman continued to collect benefits from her mother until July 2024, according to charging documents.
The Social Security Administration claims the woman even pretended to be her deceased mother.
According to charging documents, on June 4, 2024, the woman personally visited a Social Security Administration office in Austin, where she posed as her mother, to obtain a fraudulent Social Security card in her deceased mother’s name.
Officials say the woman returned to the administrative office again on June 20, where the woman again attempted to obtain a fraudulent Social Security card in her deceased mother’s name, applying using her mother’s name, date of birth, social security number and falsified data. her signature.
The Social Security Administration alleges that between 1999 and 2024, the woman received more than $360,000 in fraudulent Social Security benefits that she knew were intended for her mother.
No court date has been set.
