Social Security (SSA) and Office of the Inspector General (OIG) Imposter Scams

The Social Security Administration (SSA) Office of the Inspector General (OIG) has cautioned the public to be aware of emails that appear to be from SSA and include a link to download their Social Security statement. This email is an attempt to lure individuals to fraudulent sites that are not associated with SSA.

The email states that your Social Security statement is available for download. DO NOT CLICK THE LINK. These emails are not from SSA and will compromise your personal data and likely damage your computer system once you allow access.

Criminals continue to impersonate SSA and other government agencies in an attempt to obtain personal information or money.

Scammers will call, email, text, write or message you on social media claiming to be from the Social Security Administration or the Office of the Inspector General. They might use the name of a person who really works there and might send a picture or attachment as “proof.”

NOTE: SSA employees do contact the public by telephone for business purposes. Usually, the agency calls people who have recently applied for a Social Security benefit, are already receiving payments and require an update to their record or have requested a phone call from the agency. If there is a problem with a person’s Social Security number or record, Social Security will typically mail a letter.

Scammers frequently change their approach with new tactics and messages to trick people.

These are red flags; you can trust that Social Security will NEVER

• Threaten you with arrest or legal action because you don’t agree to pay money immediately.
• Suspend your Social Security number.
• Claim to need personal information or payment to activate a cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) or other benefit increase.
• Pressure you to take immediate action, including sharing personal information.
• Ask you to pay with gift cards, prepaid debit cards, wire transfers, cryptocurrency, or by mailing cash.
• Threaten to seize your bank account.
• Offer to move your money to a “protected” bank account
• Demand secrecy
• Direct message you on social media.

Be skeptical and look for red flags. If you receive a suspicious call, text message, email, letter, or message on social media, the caller or sender may not be who they say they are. Scammers have been known to:

• Use legitimate names of Office of Inspector General or Social Security Administration employees.
• “Spoof” official government phone numbers, or even numbers for local police departments.
• Send official-looking documents by U.S. mail or attachments through email, text, or social media message (Fraudsters will create these documents by using related images and jargon to help them appear legitimate).

NOTE: Scammers are using Artificial Intelligence (AI) as an additional tactic to trick people.

Be cautious and don’t fall a victim to these scams.

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