HOW TO SPOT A SCAM – SIX THINGS THE SSA WILL NEVER DO
DO YOU KNOW HOW TO SPOT AN SSA SCAM?
How can you spot a scam? How do you know if it is really the SSA on the phone calling you? You may have received a phone call from someone claiming they were from the Social Security Administration. There are phone scams, text scams, and email scams.
Typically, the person on the telephone will claim that you are in some sort of trouble with the Social Security Administration. They may threaten you with jail or large fines. These attempts to threaten you are not from the SSA. You may even receive a text or email of a fake identification badges that claims to be from a Federal employee.
HOW TO SPOT A SCAM
WHAT ARE THE SIX THINGS THE SSA WILL NEVER DO WHEN CONTACTING YOU?
If you receive a letter, text, call or email that you think is suspicious, then do not respond. You should hang up the phone if someone claims to be calling from the SSA and threatens you with arrest or other legal action. On the SSA’s website, there is a list of six things that the SSA will never do when contacting you. Here are the six things the SSA will never do:
- Text or email images of an employee’s official government identification.
- Suspend your Social Security number.
- Threaten you with arrest or other legal action unless you immediately pay a fine or fee.
- Require payment by retail gift card, wire transfer, internet currency, or mailing cash.
- Promise a benefit increase or other assistance in exchange for payment.
- Send official letters or reports containing your personal information via email.
The only time the SSA will contact you by text, is when you have already opted in to receive texts from us and only in limited situations, including the following:
- When you have subscribed to receive updates and notifications by text.
- As part of the SSA’s enhanced security when accessing your personal my Social Security account.
CREATE A PERSONAL ACCOUNT ON SSA.GOV
One of the best things that you can do for yourself is to go the SSA’s website and create a personal account. When you use the internet to go to Social Security’s website. On the first page of the website you will see a section entitled “my Social Security.” If you click on this section, it will guide you through the steps to make an account. That account is your personal account and it will show your earnings throughout your lifetime. It will also estimate for you, based upon your past earnings, how much you can expect to receive in retirement benefits.
If you are eligible for Social Security Disability benefits, your personal Social Security account will tell you how much money your disability benefit you will be. Likewise, if there are earnings that are not reported on your “earnings record,” then you can correct it.
If you do owe money to the SSA, they will mail you a letter. The letter will contain payment options and it will also outline your appeal rights. The SSA will never contact you by phone or mail to threaten you with jail time. If you do receive a threat or become a victim of a scam, you can report it to the SSA at the OIG’s website. Find out more about SSA investigations for fraud.
WE CAN HELP YOU WIN SSD BENEFITS & SPOT A SCAM
At our law firm, our legal team understands the law and we know the difficulties you are facing. If you hire us to represent you and we do not win your case, then you do not owe us an attorney fee. Do your research and hire the legal team with the most experience.
If you want to find out more about our legal team, then you can call our office or read About Us. Dianna Cannon has 30 years of experience helping her clients win SSD and SSI benefits. Also, Andria Summers has 20 years of experience representing clients on appeal and in court. Additionally, Brett Bunkall has won hundreds of SSD cases in Utah, Nevada, Idaho, and California. We have won over $100 million in ongoing and past due SSD benefits for our clients.
Although we can’t guarantee we will win your case, we will do our very best to help you through the five step SSD review process. Contact us today to hire a SSD attorney with the experience to deal with the SSA.
