To ID.me or not to ID.me?

Post date: 2026-10-28 12:27:33

The Treasury Department is asking me to sign up for ID.me to access money I have in bonds. This requires a photo of my ID and a video selfie. I do not trust the current administration as far as I can throw them. Is there another way?

I have a small amount of money in bonds with the US government. I have gotten notifications from the Treasury Department to set up ID.me to maintain my online access to those funds. ID.me is apparently a new government verification system, to sign up for which one is required to submit both a photograph of one's ID and a video selfie. Even in better times, I'd be leery of that, but with the current fascists in charge, my response to submitting that information, especially the video selfie, is a resounding "fuck no." Am I being paranoid? If not, how else could I access these funds?

A few other points:
-- Yes, I realize that they already have a lot of info on me because I have a driver's license and a US passport and we're living in a surveillance state. Still, a video selfie seems somehow different. As context, I have next to no online profile apart from a photo-less LinkedIn page.
-- I do not believe these emails are a scam.
-- I do not need to get at the money in the next few years, I'm mostly asking as a general question. If the answer is "Just wait out this administration," I could do that.
-- If I don't sign up, the money doesn't go away, I just can't access it.
-- The other option appears to be a "short video call," presumably recorded, which isn't really any better.

Is there maybe a physical office somewhere where I could withdraw this money when the time comes? Could a bank or my credit union help me do so?

Thanks in advance!

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