What are Social Security-related scams?

By Social Security Administration      May 2026

According to the Social Security Administration (SSA), criminals continue to impersonate SSA and other government agencies in an attempt to obtain personal information or money from individuals.

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

Social Security employees do contact the public by telephone for business purposes. Ordinarily, 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.

Four Basic Signs of a Scam

Scams come in many varieties, but they all work the same way:

  1. Scammers pretend to be from an agency or organization you know to gain your trust.
  2. Scammers say there is a problem or a prize.
  3. Scammers pressure you to act immediately.
  4. Scammers tell you to pay in a specific way.

Known Tactics Scammers Use

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 also 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 create imposter social media pages and accounts using Social Security-related images and jargon. This helps them appear as if they're associated with or endorsed by the SSA. The imposter pages could be for the agency or Social Security and OIG officials. The user is asked to send their financial information, Social Security number, or other sensitive information. Social Security will never ask for sensitive information through social media as these channels are not secure.

Here are some ways to spot an imposter page:

  • Number of followers.
  • Incorrect punctuation or spelling.
  • Links to pages not on ssa.gov.
  • Advertisements for forms or other SSA documents.
  • Incorrect social media handle. To view the list of Social Security's official social media channels, we encourage you to visit www.ssa.gov/socialmedia.

It is illegal to reproduce federal employee credentials and federal law enforcement badges. Federal law enforcement will never send photographs of credentials or badges to demand any kind of payment, and neither will federal government employees.

How to Avoid a Scam

Protect yourself, friends, and family — If you receive a suspicious call, text, email, social media message, or letter from someone claiming to be from Social Security:

  1. Remain calm. If you receive a communication that causes a strong emotional response, take a deep breath. Talk to someone you trust.
  2. Hang up or ignore the message. Do not click on links or attachments.
  3. Protect your money. Scammers will insist that you pay with a gift card, prepaid debit card, cryptocurrency, wire transfer, money transfer, or by mailing cash. Scammers use these forms of payment because they are hard to trace.
  4. Protect your personal information. Be cautious of any contact claiming to be from a government agency or law enforcement telling you about a problem you don’t recognize, even if the caller has some of your personal information.
  5. Spread the word to protect your community from scammers.
  6. Report the scam to the Office of the Inspector General at oig.ssa.gov/report.

How to Report

When you report a scam, you are providing powerful data that we use to inform others, identify trends, refine strategies, and take legal action against the criminals behind these scam activities.

If you are unsure about the type of scam, but want to report it, visit USA.gov's Where To Report a Scam, at https://www.usa.gov/where-report-scams. This tool will help you to find the right place to report a scam.

What to Do if You Were Scammed

Recovering from a scam can be a long and difficult process. Here are some reminders:

  • Do not blame yourself. Criminal behavior is not your fault.
  • Stop contact with the scammer. Do not talk to them

or respond to their messages.

Recover from a Scam

If you believe you have been scammed, there are resources available to help you recover and protect yourself. The Better Business Bureau (BBB) offers a Scam Recovery Toolkit with guidance and support for victims of scams. Visit the BBB Scam Recovery Toolkit at https://scamsurvivaltoolkit.bbbmarketplacetrust.org/ for more information.

Tips to protect yourself:

  • Do not share sensitive information via phone, email, text, or social media.
  • Do not transfer or send money to unknown locations.
  • Consider designating a “safe word” for your family that is only shared with family members and close contacts.
  • Do not provide any personal or sensitive information to an online chatbot.
  • Report potential scams to the authorities and the companies involved.
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