Scammers are aware that people are catching on to their attempts, so they’re coming up with new ways to convince Social Security beneficiaries that their frauds are legitimate. Because Social Security scams are increasingly common – even more common than IRS scams – it’s important to help educate others and raise awareness of these evolving tactics and how to identify and report scam attempts.

If you have aging parents that are Social Security beneficiaries, please have this conversation with them, and ask them to contact you if they get any calls or emails from anyone claiming to be an employee of the Social Security Administration or the IRS.

 Learn what to watch for so you can protect yourself and others from Social Security scams.

Scammers are contacting Social Security beneficiaries and asking them to pay to reactivate, protect, or restore their benefits. Scammers are making phone calls and then following up with emails containing falsified documents aimed at convincing people to pay. The calls may be either a recorded voice or a person falsely claiming to be a government employee, warning you of an issue with your Social Security number, account, or benefits, including identity theft. The caller may threaten arrest or other legal action, or they may offer to increase benefits, protect your assets, or resolve identity theft if you provide payment using a retail gift card, cash, wire transfer, internet currency such as Bitcoin, or a pre-paid debit card. 

How can you tell if it’s legitimate or a scam?

1. If they are threatening arrest or legal action, it's a scam. The Social Security Administration (SSA) will never threaten you with arrest or other legal action if you don’t immediately pay a fine or fee.

2. If there is a problem with your Social Security account, the SSA will mail you a letter to notify you of any issues. They will not send you an email or text.

3. If you do need to submit payments to the SSA, the agency will mail a letter with payment instructions and options through U.S. mail. You should never pay a government fee or fine using retail gift cards, cash, internet currency, wire transfers, or pre-paid debit cards. Scammers ask for payment this way because it’s difficult to trace and recover.

4. SSA employees will never promise to increase your Social Security benefits, or offer other assistance, in exchange for payment.

How to report a scam?

If you think you’ve been the victim of a Social Security scam, report it immediately to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and to the SSA Office of Inspector General Fraud .