A Michigan woman who was expecting to find a tax refund in her mailbox was shocked when she instead received a letter from the IRS informing her that she had 'died'. Sarah Jewell, 25, is still living and breathing, a fact she proved when, after the IRS told her to contact her local Social Security office in Sparta, she walked right in and announced 'I'm alive!' The staff told Jewell that someone had filed her Social Security number as deceased in November 2014. Jewell said the office implied she would be fine and that 'everything's taken care of'. Sarah Jewell, 25, was expecting to find a tax refund in her mailbox when she instead received a letter from the IRS informing her that she had 'died' But fast-forward three months later and Jewell said she hasn't received instruction from Social Security on how to proceed and her number has yet to be reinstated - leaving her life in total disarray. Jewell still hasn't received her tax refund, one of her credit cards was cancelled, and even her driver's license, which she was meant to renew, now lists her as deceased, she told Fox 17 West Michigan. And now Jewell's benefits and even her job as a licensed pharmacy technician could be in jeopardy if the problem isn't fixed. 'Everyone has to be licensed in the state of Michigan by the end of June,' she said. 'And so if I don't get this taken care of soon, I will essentially be out of a job.' Jewell's local Social Security office told her that in November 2014 someone had filed her Social Security number as deceased. She said they implied she would be fine and that 'everything's taken care of' But fast-forward three months later and Jewell's Social Security number hasn't been reinstated. She also cannot renew her driver's license, has not received her tax refund and had one of her credit cards cancelled . Dough Nguyen, a deputy regional communications director for Social Security, told Fox 17 that Jewell's situation is very rare. He said about 9,000 living Americans are misreported as deceased to the administration, making up 0.35 per cent of three million annual deaths. But Jewell is part of that small percentage, and she said it has affected every area in her life. 'Your Social Security number is tied to every piece of information about you,' she said. 'So, yeah, it's kind of daunting.'
Sarah Jewell, 25, went to local Social Security office to prove she's alive .
She learned someone had filed her number as deceased in November 2014 .
Jewell said the office implied 'everything's taken care of' and she was fine .
But after three months her number hasn't been reinstated, she hasn't received her tax refund, and her driver's license also lists her as deceased .
And now she's in jeopardy of losing her job as a licensed pharmacist .