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Woman says someone took over as her great-nephew's rep behind her back

A woman who gets disability checks for her great-nephew said someone took over as his representative behind her back and didn't even give him the money.

She said it became a race against the clock to get the funds for him, so she turned to Action 9 investigator Jason Stoogenke, and he got involved right away.

Rose Williams said she raised Nehemiah Massey, who is on disability.

"He takes me to be his mama,” Williams said.

Every month, Williams gets his disability check for him of $735.

"He count on it and I count on it because we living on it,” Williams said.

But recently, Williams couldn't get it.

She said she didn't change anything.

Williams asked Social Security what happened.

She said the agency told her she wasn't listed as his representative anymore and someone else was.

Williams believes a relative switched it behind her back.

"It can definitely happen," said Cassidy Estes-Rogers, a lawyer with Legal Services of Southern Piedmont.

Stoogenke asked Estes-Rogers how caretakers, like Williams, which Social Security calls "payees," can protect themselves.

"Keep good records,” Estes-Rogers said. “Also, you should manage that money separately from your own money. That way, if something like that did happen and Social Security, a new payee, stepped in and somehow, some way [undermines you], you have documentation to show how you have been managing the money [in a responsible way]."

Action 9 got in touch with Social Security, but the agency wouldn't discuss the case for privacy reasons, but Social Security did sort it out.

Williams is Massey’s representative once again.