Social Security Notification? Take an Active Pause

What you should know:

• Regardless of the story they tell, the perpetrators are looking to steal from you – whether it’s sensitive information or your Social Security number.
• To lend legitimacy to their story, they may claim to be from the SSA Office of Inspector General, use the name of an SSA employee, or send letters on what looks to be SSA letterhead.
• SSA does not contact people out of the blue and will never use pressure to pay a fee, transfer money or share sensitive personal or financial information.
• These Social Security scams include three red flags common to most scams: a contact from out of the blue that heightens our emotions and contains urgency.

What you should do:

• When you notice these three red flags together, take what AARP calls an “active pause”—an intentional step back to reflect: Is this something I’ve heard of? Does this make sense?  This pause gives you time to apply logic—something the criminal playbook is written to avoid—and protect yourself and your assets.
• If you receive a concerning communication from SSA, contact SSA directly at 800-772-1213 (or you can log in or set up a “My Social Security Account” by visiting ssa.gov/myaccount.)
• If you shared your Social Security number and believe it was part of a scam, go to IDtheft.gov for step-by-step guidance on protecting yourself from identity fraud.
• Learn more about AARP’s campaign, Pause, Reflect, Protect, at aarp.org/pause.