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A new “high-pressure” scam attempts to convince individuals that their Social Security number may be suspended for criminal activity, according to a new warning.
“Beware! It’s a scam!” the Social Security Administration’s Office of Inspector General said in a recent warning.
This plan will send you an email with the subject line, “Alert: A problem has been detected with your Social Security account.” The attachment, which has a fake letterhead claiming to be from SSA OIG, warns recipients that their Social Security number will be suspended within 24 hours and they may face criminal prosecution.
The schemes typically use fear tactics to trick victims into handing over money, such as flagging suspicious activity on their accounts, claiming that their personal information is being used in a crime, or claiming that their online accounts or other personal devices have been hacked.
When recipients of fraudulent emails call the phone number provided, they may encounter someone impersonating a Social Security Administration employee, who may sometimes use the real name of a federal employee. Alternatively, you can instruct callers to send you a text via an automated message.
SSA OIG, which independently oversees the Social Security Administration, warns recipients not to share personal information in response to the notice.
“If you receive an unexpected phone call, text, email, letter, or social media message from the SSA OIG or any government agency, please stop and first consider whether it is a scam,” Acting Inspector General Michelle L. Anderson said in a statement. “The person contacting you may not be who they claim to be.”
Specifically, the SSA OIG “would never send a letter like this,” Anderson said.
Older adults are more likely to report being scammed
Government scams may also claim to be from other agencies, such as the Social Security Administration, IRS, Medicare, or Federal Trade Commission. Other schemes may claim to represent well-known companies.
In 2024, consumers reported losing more than $12.5 billion to fraud, a 25% increase from the previous year, the Federal Trade Commission reported in March.
The most common way to lose money was through investment fraud, with $5.7 billion in losses reported by consumers in 2024, followed by scammer scams with $2.95 billion in losses.
According to the FTC, adults 60 and older are most likely to report losing tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars to fraud. The agency reported in August that the number of seniors who reported losing $10,000 or more to fraud more than quadrupled from 2020 to 2024. In the same year, the number of seniors who reported losing more than $100,000 jumped nearly seven times.
To avoid becoming a victim, the FTC warns consumers who have been targeted by this type of scam not to send or transfer money to anyone.
The agency also recommends that people independently verify the authenticity of phone numbers and websites and talk to people they know and trust before sending money.
According to the FTC, blocking unsolicited calls can also prevent scammers from contacting you in the first place.
