Dead Woman Gets Federal Stimulus Check

POSTED: 12:32 am EDT May 12, 2009
ANNE ARUNDEL, Md. -- Millions of Americans on Social Security are receiving $250 checks as part of the president's stimulus plan -- including an Anne Arundel woman who died more than 40 years ago.

The woman's son, 83-year-old James Hagner, said he got the surprise when he checked his mailbox late last week.

"It shocked me and I laughed all at the same time," Hagner said. "I don't even expect to get one for myself, and I get one for my mother from 43 years ago?"

His mother, Rose, died on Memorial Day in 1967.

Social Security representatives said there is a good explanation. Of the about 52 million checks that have been mailed out, about 10,000 of those have been sent to people who are deceased.

The agency blames the error on the strict mid-June deadline of mailing out all of the checks, which didn't leave officials much time to clean up all of their records.

Agents ask that people return the check if they receive it. Hagner said he'd like to frame it and hang it on his wall. "I just want to keep it as a souvenir. I'll never cash it," Hagner said.

Social Security officials said they aren't expecting to lose too much money to fraud. They're reminding the public that it's a federal offense to cash someone else's Social Security check.

This is the government that people trust and want running our country.  I wonder how long it takes them to get a  dead person out of their system? Do you wonder why we are so in debt, just do the math on this story. Do they really think people are going to send that money back? They aren’t expecting to lose too much money? 10,000 checks mailed to 10,000 dead people comes to $2,500,000. But to the government that is simply pocket change isn’t it. Social Security is already going broke, after reading this I don’t wonder why. If you trust the Government with your money, think again.