I have been noticing an increase in calls by scammers claiming to be from the Social Security Administration ("SSA") or Internal Revenue Service ("IRS"), hoping to convince callers to reveal private information that will allow the scammer to access private financial information. This happens every year, but it seems to be ramping up again. SSA has published some tips to help you avoid falling for the shenanigans that these schemers pull: https://www.ssa.gov/scam/
Here are my own personal tips to avoid being scammed:
1. SSA rarely calls people. Have you ever tried to call SSA? You have a limited chance to get through their phone lines due to staffing issues and time constraints. Almost all business is completed by written letter. However, an SSA employee may call a person occasionally to verify some information to process benefits. If an SSA employee does call you, the employee will identify which office he or she is calling from. Most employees have a 5 digit extension, so you can ask for the extension and local SSA field office number if you need to validate whether the SSA employee is truly calling from a SSA field office.
2. SSA may call you to confirm your direct deposit information if you were recently awarded benefits. As long as you have a "My SSA Account," you can add your direct deposit information electronically. Here is the link to setup or login in to your "My SSA Account": https://www.ssa.gov/myaccount/?gclid=Cj0KCQjw2eilBhCCARIsAG0Pf8v_lHZZT7kExOurTd1YNIZrNqj81zrUAWfOIBSursfjCVWUMClN1xIaAp0jEALw_wcB . The website is very user friendly, but if you struggle with technology, you also can call the (800) 772-1213 number. When you hear the prompt, "How can I help you today?" say "direct deposit." You will need to provide your current direct deposit routing number and account number to change your information over the phone.
3. SSA will not threaten you and they do not call their employees "officers." Every time I get one of these scam calls, the person identifies himself or herself as "Officer So-And-So" and immediately starts to strong-arm me. SSA is NOT a law enforcement agency. They have caseworkers and analysts, but not "officers," beyond the one security officer who sits in the lobby of each SSA office. If someone calls you and pretends to be an "officer with SSA" and starts threatening you with jail time or financial penalties if you do not provide a credit card number or access to a bank account over the phone, hang up.
4. SSA employees rarely give out their emails. I have handled over 3,000 cases and I probably have emailed with an SSA employee 5 times in my 19 year career. SSA doesn't want claimants, or attorneys, to have an easy way to contact them, so they do not give their work email addresses out. If you get an email from someone claiming to be an employee at SSA, it is likely fake. If in doubt, check and see if the email handle is "SSA.gov" because that is the email handle that SSA employees use. Often scammers' emails or websites are one digit off.
Got
a question about SSDI or SSI that you need us to answer? Please check out our
website at www.westcoastdisability.com . We try to provide you with helpful
information on our website that will allow you to successfully navigate the
Social Security Disability process. Also, feel free to email me your questions
at megan@westcoastdisability.com or
call me at (800) 459-3017 x 101.
