martyp
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
There is already a discussion post about Social Security requiring registration to Login.gov. For those of us retired and living overseas we have to use ID.me which is also linked to the Social Security website. I just completed a two day ordeal trying to get my ID.me ID.
You start with the obvious registration with your name and address. I used my Thai address because that is my actual address and it is the address I gave to Social Security. It was easy enough to upload photos of my passport and Social Security card but they also wanted an ID with my name and current address. I moved to Thailand from California 7+ years ago. The only ID with my name, photo, and address is my government issued Thai ID. Of course, my ID is all in the Thai language. I have a Thai drivers license which is in Thai and English but the address is not current.
The first message that came back was that they could not read my ID. That was not really a surprise. I then ran the photo of the ID through Google translate and it was a pretty good translation. I resubmitted with the English translation of my Thai ID. The message that came back was that the address didn't match the address I registered with. At one point I was able to get back to my original registration and change it to exactly what the Google translate version was. I continued to upload the Thai ID and Google translation individually and together about a dozen times in a dozen different ways. I had gone online to learn how to merge two photos together and present the Thai an English versions side by side. I was convinced that the ID's were being read by software and just couldn't interpret what I was giving them. I complained on their website that I couldn't upload acceptable documents and could they please tell me what to do and then I continued uploading the same documents. All this activity was just to get to a video interview to confirm the document photos.
Finally, yesterday I got an invitation for a video interview. I talked with a very nice lady who happened to mention that no, she had been looking at my submissions and the photos were not being interpreted first by software. I stayed nice and we went over the documents and then she approved my ID.me password. I can only image that I wore her down or someone forwarded her my complaint. A few hours later I was able to confirm that my new password worked on the MySocialSecurity website.
For anyone retired overseas and trying to get an ID.me I can only suggest persevering and using their support messaging service (be nice). Your submissions are being looked at by a human being and eventually you will get through.
You start with the obvious registration with your name and address. I used my Thai address because that is my actual address and it is the address I gave to Social Security. It was easy enough to upload photos of my passport and Social Security card but they also wanted an ID with my name and current address. I moved to Thailand from California 7+ years ago. The only ID with my name, photo, and address is my government issued Thai ID. Of course, my ID is all in the Thai language. I have a Thai drivers license which is in Thai and English but the address is not current.
The first message that came back was that they could not read my ID. That was not really a surprise. I then ran the photo of the ID through Google translate and it was a pretty good translation. I resubmitted with the English translation of my Thai ID. The message that came back was that the address didn't match the address I registered with. At one point I was able to get back to my original registration and change it to exactly what the Google translate version was. I continued to upload the Thai ID and Google translation individually and together about a dozen times in a dozen different ways. I had gone online to learn how to merge two photos together and present the Thai an English versions side by side. I was convinced that the ID's were being read by software and just couldn't interpret what I was giving them. I complained on their website that I couldn't upload acceptable documents and could they please tell me what to do and then I continued uploading the same documents. All this activity was just to get to a video interview to confirm the document photos.
Finally, yesterday I got an invitation for a video interview. I talked with a very nice lady who happened to mention that no, she had been looking at my submissions and the photos were not being interpreted first by software. I stayed nice and we went over the documents and then she approved my ID.me password. I can only image that I wore her down or someone forwarded her my complaint. A few hours later I was able to confirm that my new password worked on the MySocialSecurity website.
For anyone retired overseas and trying to get an ID.me I can only suggest persevering and using their support messaging service (be nice). Your submissions are being looked at by a human being and eventually you will get through.
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