Social Security Warns Beneficiaries of Agency Imposter Scams

The agency never contacts social security recipients to seek immediate payments nor does it threaten them with arrest, said the department.

The logo of the US Social Security Administration outside a Social Security building in Burbank, Calif., on Nov. 5, 2020. Valerie Macon/AFP via Getty Images

Scammers posing as Social Security Administration (SSA) representatives are seeking to dupe beneficiaries to misappropriate money and personal information, according to a recent alert issued by the agency and its Office of the Inspector General (OIG).

“Social Security related scams—where fraudsters mislead victims into sharing personal information, or making cash, wire transfer, or gift card payments to fix alleged Social Security number problems—are an ongoing government imposter fraud scheme,” the agency said in a March 6 statement.

The process typically involves “these P’s—Pretend, Prize or Problem, Pressure, and Payment.” First, the fraudsters pose themselves as SSA representatives when contacting target victims via phone, websites, social media direct messages, emails, or texts. They claim there is a problem with the target’s social security number or benefits.

To legitimize themselves, the caller ID may be spoofed to appear as a genuine government phone number.

Some of them even send forged documents to pressure targets to divulge information or transfer money. The criminals also use fake SSA letterheads and social media pages to affirm their validity.

“Social Security will never tell you that your Social Security number is suspended,” the SSA said.

The agency also never contacts beneficiaries “to demand an immediate payment; threaten you with arrest; ask for your credit or debit card numbers over the phone; request gift cards, wire transfer, gold, cash, cryptocurrency; or promise a Social Security benefit approval or increase in exchange for information or money.”

SSA clarified that its employees do contact beneficiaries by telephone for business purposes. Typically, the agency calls three groups of people—those who recently applied for benefits, individuals who requested a call, and existing beneficiaries whose records need to be updated.

When there is an issue with a person’s social security number, the agency gets in touch via mail.

The alert was issued by the SSA and OIG as part of the sixth annual “Slam the Scam” day on March 6.

According to the OIG, the Social Security Administration is the “top government agency” targeted by fraudsters. As of November 2024, losses from government imposter scams for the year were more than $577 million.

“I strongly urge our citizens to be vigilant and protect themselves from criminal threats,” said Lee Dudek, acting commissioner of Social Security.

“Scammers use fear and pressure to steal money or personal information and I implore Americans to hang up, ignore the messages, and report any scam attempts to oig.ssa.gov.”

Dealing With Scams

According to a July 17 post by the nonprofit National Council on Aging (NCOA), people should keep calm and never act on impulse while dealing with potential social security scams.

When subjected to threatening calls or letters from individuals claiming to represent the government, things can get scary for some people. “Try to stay [c]alm instead of letting your emotions take over. Talk to a trusted friend or family member for help determining your next steps,” NCOA said.

The group asked people to never click on links given in unexpected texts or emails.

In case a beneficiary needs to verify whether a communication they receive is actually from the Social Security Administration, they should get in touch with the agency using the contact info on the SSA website, NCOA advised.

It recommended avoiding answering calls from unknown phone numbers. “If you don’t recognize the number, let it go to voicemail. That way, you can listen to the message and think through whether it requires a callback.”

“This advice applies even if a number appears to be that of an official government agency” given that their phone numbers can be spoofed, said the nonprofit.

A recent social security scam that triggered an alert from the SSA was related to the annual cost of living adjustments (COLA).

The alert, issued in October, said scammers were spreading false information that beneficiaries needed to take certain actions in order to ensure COLA adjustments are made for their monthly payments.

However, SSA clarified that COLA adjustments are made automatically, with beneficiaries not required to provide any info or take any action on the matter.