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The DMF is one of the most important and closely supervised databases in the Social Security Administration’s possession.

Because the DMF is viewed as authoritative by financial services companies, adds O’Connor, its misuse can cause “disruption in your bank account access, your credit cards canceled, your pension benefits being cut off, your insurance coverage canceled or an insurance claim denied. If you apply for a job your application could be rejected, or have a denial of credit.”

Social Security maintains the main list, known as the Death Master File, usually known as the DMF among government agencies.

While Social Security’s DMF is usually at fault, investigators uncovered some accounts the IRS locked even though the Social Security data didn’t flag them as deceased.

Bob Hansan, the managing partner of Bobby McKey’s, a piano bar near Washington, received a cryptic email Tuesday afternoon that began: “Your name appears on the Do Not Pay list with the Match Source DMF.”