Protecting Yourself Against Scammers Who Always Find New Ways to Steal Your Money and Personal Information.
Protecting yourself against scammers is the best way to defeat them—know how to identify scams and ignore suspicious phone calls and emails.
A common tactic scammers use is pretending to be federal agents or other law enforcement officials.
They may claim your Social Security number (SSN) is linked to a crime. They might even threaten to arrest you if you don’t follow their instructions.
Here Are Three Things You Should Do:
Hang up the phone immediately or do not respond to the email.
Never provide personal information or payments of any kind.
Report the scam at oig.ssa.gov to immediately notify the law enforcement team at our Office of the Inspector General.
You should remain cautious if you receive a phone call from someone claiming there is a problem with your Social Security number or benefits.
If you owe us money, we will mail you a letter explaining your rights, payment options, and information on how to appeal.
When trying to identify whether a phone call or email is a scam, remember that we will never do the following:
Protecting yourself against scammers targeting your Social Security benefits
Threaten you with benefit suspension, arrest, or other legal action.
Promise you a benefit increase or other assistance in exchange for payment.
Require you to make a payment via gift card, cash, wire transfer, electronic currency, or prepaid debit card.
Demand that you keep a Social Security-related issue secret.
Email you official letters or reports containing personal identification information.
To learn more about scams, visit www.ssa.gov/espanol/estafas. Please share this information with those who might benefit from it.
Image: SSA
