Recently, the Social Security Administration (SSA) and its Office of the Inspector General (OIG) issued a warning about fraudulent individuals impersonating staff from the department in an attempt to deceive beneficiaries and steal their funds and personal information.
This warning was released on March 6th, in a statement by the agency highlighting the prevalence of scams related to social security. Fraudsters deceive victims into disclosing personal information or request payments through cash, bank transfers, or gift cards to resolve alleged Social Security number (SSN) issues – a persistent tactic used in government agency impersonation scams.
This deceptive process typically involves a four-step approach known as the four Ps – Pretend, Prize or Problem, Pressure, and Payment. Initially, scammers pose as SSA department staff, contacting targeted victims via phone calls, websites, social media messages, emails, or texts, claiming issues with their SSN or benefits.
To make the entire process appear more legitimate, scammers may falsify caller IDs to resemble official government phone numbers. Some of these fraudsters even send forged documents to pressure victims into disclosing personal information or transferring funds. These criminals also employ counterfeit SSA letterheads and social media pages to enhance credibility.
“Social Security will never contact you claiming your Social Security number has been suspended,” clarified the SSA.
The agency further emphasized that the SSA would never contact beneficiaries demanding immediate payment, threatening arrest, soliciting credit card or debit card information over the phone, requesting gift cards, bank transfers, gold, cash, or cryptocurrency, or conditional offers of social security benefits approval or increased amounts in exchange for information and money.
The SSA affirmed that its staff may indeed contact beneficiaries by phone for business purposes. Typically, the agency will make phone calls to three categories of people: recent applicants for benefits, individuals who have requested callbacks, and existing beneficiaries needing record updates.
When someone’s SSN encounters issues, the agency will reach out through mail.
As part of the 6th Annual “Slam the Scam” Awareness Day event held on March 6th, the SSA and OIG issued this warning.
According to the OIG’s data, the Social Security Administration is the most impersonated government agency by scam artists. As of November 2024, yearly losses due to government agency impersonation scams had exceeded $577 million.
“I urge our citizens to remain vigilant and protect themselves from criminal threats,” said Acting SSA Commissioner Lee Dudek.
“Fear and pressure are used by scammers to steal money and personal information. I plead with Americans to hang up on such calls, ignore such messages, and report any scam attempts to oig.ssa.gov immediately.”
In an article released by the National Council on Aging (NCOA) on July 17th last year, the organization reminded people to stay calm and not act impulsively when dealing with potential Social Security scams.
When someone claiming to represent the government makes threatening phone calls or sends threatening letters, some individuals may feel fearful. NCOA advises, “Stay as calm as possible, rather than letting emotions take over. Seek help from trusted friends and family to determine the next steps.”
The organization also warns people not to click on links in texts or emails from unknown sources.
NCOA recommends that beneficiaries verify communications they receive to ensure they are from the Social Security Administration by contacting the agency through the contact details on the SSA website.
Furthermore, NCOA suggests avoiding answering calls from unknown numbers. “If you don’t recognize the number, let it go to voicemail. This way, you can listen to the message and decide if you need to call back.”
“Even if the number appears to be from an official government agency, it’s advisable to follow the above recommendations as those phone numbers could also be spoofed,” the nonprofit organization stated.
A recent Social Security scam case that prompted the SSA’s warning is related to the agency’s annual Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA).
In a warning issued last October, scammers spread false information claiming beneficiaries needed to take specific actions to ensure their monthly payments could undergo a COLA adjustment.
However, the SSA clarified that COLA adjustments are automatic, and beneficiaries do not need to provide any information or take any action to facilitate the adjustment.