SANTA FE, Texas – A Galveston County man said he is alive and well despite what the government thinks.
“Somebody in New Jersey called into Social Security and said he had died,” said Ginger Fine, Bob Fine’s wife of 31 years.
The couple realized something was terribly wrong back in January when Bob Fine sat down at his computer to do some banking and noticed their account was overdrawn.
“I looked at it and it said $4,350 in the hole,” Fine said. “I thought, 'No.'”
Bob Fine went to the bank the next morning and was told that the Social Security Administration had reclaimed their money. His next stop was the Social Security Office.
Bob Fine said he was told it was a clerical error or typo that may have led to the problem.
The Fines said the problem is still not corrected and they haven’t received one of Bob’s Social Security checks since. They are living on Ginger’s checks, but they’re only $850 a month. Bob is supposed to receive more than $2,000 a month.
“I think it’s fraud somewhere,” Ginger told KPRC 2 News. “I’m a firm believer in that.”
“Somebody with a name similar to mine and a Social Security number typo,” Bob said.
Not only have Bob Fine’s Social Security checks stopped coming in, but his Medicare policy has also been canceled because of his “death.” Now he has no health insurance.
The Fines have been jumping through hoops the last few months to get things straightened out and the problem is still not corrected. They said they are hopeful they will get the $4,700 that is owed to them by the end of February. Their bills keep coming in and they don’t have the money to cover them.
“We still don’t see the light at the end of the tunnel,” Ginger said. “This is our money. We need our money.”