Social Security scams rise, but defenses exist
The Social Security Administration (SSA) recently issued a warning about an upsurge in schemes targeting Social Security recipients. Someone calls you over the phone claiming to be from the SSA and says your Social Security accounts have been suspended due to suspicion of illegal activity. They may be a real live person or a robocaller. The caller then says that if you fail to resolve the issue by calling back a certain phone number, your assets will be frozen.
Pretty scary, right? Especially when a majority of older people rely on Social Security benefits for a large part of their income after retirement. The specter of criminal prosecution or the freezing of vital assets can frighten elderly Social Security recipients into giving the caller whatever information he or she asks for.
And guess what: The info you provide – which may include your Social Security number, your mother’s maiden name, your date of birth and your bank account numbers – will be used for identity theft.
Scams are widespread
Unfortunately, this is only the most recent of many scams targeting Social Security recipients. Several years ago, many Social Security beneficiaries received an email purporting to be from the SSA. It used a highly official-looking email address, “no-reply@ssa.gov,” and asked recipients to click on a link to receive protection for their benefits.
Fraudsters have set up fake websites looking like the SSA portal to entice people to apply for Social Security benefits. Callers also can duplicate the Washington, D.C., area code so you’re more likely to believe you’ve been called by a government agency. So don’t be fooled by calls, emails or websites that look official.
3 steps to protect yourself
If you’re targeted by one of these calls, take these three steps to protect yourself.
❚ Hang up immediately: If you are contacted out of the blue by the SSA, it is probably a fraudster. The SSA says it calls Social Security beneficiaries only in response to something the beneficiary has initiated, such as a question. So if you get an unsolicited call from the SSA, it’s likely not them.
Hang up immediately. Some robocalls will ask you to press a button to stop getting these calls. Don’t respond! Fraudsters use these responses to identify potential victims.
❚ Never provide personal information over the telephone to an unknown caller: Don’t give out your personal information over the phone to someone you don’t know, whether they are threatening action or not. The info is likely to be used in ways that will harm you, not help you. If the caller asks to verify information, don’t say “yes.” They may be recording your voice. The word “yes” can then be used out of context – to authorize charges on your bank accounts and credit cards, for example.
❚ Report the call: Finally, you should report the call to the SSA Fraud Hotline. You can reach it at 1-800-269-0271 or, if you’re hearing-impaired, at 1
866-501-2101 (TTY). You can also report fraud online at https://oig.ssa.gov/report.