In what seems to be a strange ongoing trend lately, the government has mistakenly declared a man, Gene Indenbaum, who is very much alive, deceased. Even more concerningly, this isn't the first time Gene has dealt with this problem.
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According to a report by News 12 Long Island, Indenbaum was mistakenly declared dead by federal agencies last year. Authorities eventually resolved the issue, but it reared its ugly head again when he recently attempted to file his taxes. The outlet explains that Indenbaum's accountant notified him that the IRS, once again, had him recorded as deceased.
The news was particularly upsetting to Indenbaum as it forced him to relive the circumstances that got him declared dead in the first place. He said in an interview, "I had to pull over on the road. I was so upset." Back in 2022, Gene's wife unexpectedly passed away. However, Social Security mistakenly believed he had also died at the same time. The issue was resolved following an investigation by News 12 Long Island last year, but it appears the solution was only temporary.
Per a report by People, the alleged error affected Indenbaum's credit cards and health insurance. He's unsure if this will be a yearly occurrence. He told News 12, "There is no assurance at all. Luckily, I only have to file taxes once a year."
The IRS reportedly declined to comment.
This Isn't The First The Government Has Mistakenly Declared Somebody Deceased
Shockingly, we recently reported on an almost identical scenario just last week. Ned Johnson, 82, from Seattle, was declared deceased. This was a shock for his wife, who received the news by letter and assumed it was a hoax. The deceased 'flag' affected Johnson's Social Security checks. Even when he visited the Social Security Administration in person, the problem was only half resolved, and future checks came in at a reduced amount. Johnson explains authorities placed him on the 'Death Master File,' a system so seemingly archaic that you can't get off it once you're on.
This issue doesn't seem to be specific to the USA, either. A bank in the UK mistakenly declared a woman dead when she tried to switch service provider earlier this year. Just like the cases in the States, the false flag had a catastrophic knock-on effect, affecting her credit score and utilities like water and electricity.
