The Social Security Administration Is Warning Consumers About SS-Related Scams

Social Security numbers are the skeleton keys to identity theft. And what better way to get someone’s Social Security number than by pretending to be from the Social Security Administration (SSA)? 

The SSA’s Office of the Inspector General (OIG) recently posted a warning about Social Security impersonators and related scams: “We are seeing a sharp increase in fraudulent emails designed to look like official Social Security Administration communications,” said Michelle L. Anderson, Assistant Inspector General for Audit, as First Assistant. “These messages are not from Social Security. Anyone who receives one should delete it immediately and report it.”  

Consumers need to be more vigilant than ever, with impostors using artificial intelligence to make their communications more convincing. “Scammers’ embrace of AI has made things exponentially worse,” says Shawna Reeves, special projects consultant for Legal Assistance for Seniors in Oakland, California. “Because of AI, scam calls, emails and texts have become more personalized, and thus, harder to detect,” she adds.

Warning signs of a Social Security scam

The scam starts when criminals call or send you a text, a letter or a social media message, in which they claim to be officials from the SSA or the SSA’s OIG.

They may use the name of an actual SSA employee or, as noted above, send what looks like an official SSA letterhead attached to an email or text message to appear authentic.

They also might text or email images of fake credentials to “prove” they’re Social Security representatives. Actual SSA employees will not send images of their IDs.

Common Social Security scams

1. You qualify for a benefit increase. An SSA impostor calls bearing good news — say, an increase in your benefits. To get the extra money, you have to pay a fee or verify your name, date of birth and Social Security number. Armed with those identifiers, scammers can effectively hijack your account by asking the SSA to change the address, phone number, and direct deposit information on your record, thereby diverting your benefits.
2. You need to fill out forms to get the yearly COLA increase. Every fall, Social Security announces a cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) — in 2026, it is 2.8 percent. These increases are automatically added to your account. You don’t need to fill out forms or provide information to get it.
3. Your Social Security number has been suspended. An impersonator tells you that your Social Security number will be suspended and that your benefits will end unless you immediately pay a fee. They’ll demand payment in gift cards, a wire transfer, cryptocurrency or through a payment app. It’s a fake dilemma; the real SSA wouldn’t threaten you or suspend your Social Security number.
4. There’s a problem with your Social Security number. Some scams start as package delivery or tech support scams and evolve into SSA scams. Once they have you on the line, they pretend to pass you to a law enforcement agent who then “discovers” a problem in your SSA records.
5. Your number was used in a crime. An impersonator claims that your Social Security number has been linked to criminal activity and that you’re in danger of going to jail. “They’ll say, ‘OK, your Social Security number was used to rent a car that was found abandoned in El Paso, Texas, with drugs and blood in it. We’re going to send somebody out to arrest you, ” explains Steve Baker, a former Federal Trade Commission official who publishes the Baker Fraud Report newsletter. Once the impersonators have frightened their targets, they’ll sometimes tell them that the only way to avoid arrest is to send money. 
6. Your bank account is in danger. The impersonator tells you that because your Social Security number has been stolen, your bank accounts are at risk, Baker says. “They’ll say, ‘What we need to do is get all of your money out and put it in a safe account or some sort of government-controlled account.’ ”

Does Social Security call you?

Social Security rarely contacts people out of the blue. It will text you only if you opted to receive notifications that way or to verify your identity when you access your online My Social Security account. And if you have an old My Social Security account, you may receive an email from the SSA informing you of the login change. (These emails should always originate from a “.gov” address. See below for more tips.