Social Security Scam Calls and Texts: What SSA Will and Won't Do

A call, text or email that says your Social Security number is suspended, that a crime is linked to it, or that you must pay or confirm details immediately is a scam. The Social Security Administration (SSA) says it will never suspend your number because of a crime, threaten you with arrest or legal action, or ask for payment by gift card, wire transfer, internet currency or cash by mail. Hang up, do not click anything, contact SSA yourself, and report the attempt to the SSA Office of the Inspector General (OIG) and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).

Who this is for and what you will have at the end

This guide is for anyone in the United States who has received a message claiming to be from Social Security, and for family members who help older relatives with their phones. At the end you will know what SSA says it does and does not do, how to recognize the common scripts, what to do in the moment, how to report, and what to do if you already responded. It describes how to recognize scams only, not how to run one.

The statements about SSA's behavior come from the SSA Office of the Inspector General's published warnings. The general government-impersonation guidance comes from the FTC.

What SSA says it will never do

According to the OIG's warning about Social Security phone scams, SSA will never:

• Suspend your Social Security number because someone else has used it in a crime.
• Threaten you with arrest or legal action unless you immediately pay a fine or fee.
• Require payment by retail gift card, wire transfer, internet currency or cash sent by mail.
• Promise a benefit increase or other help in exchange for payment.
• Send official letters or reports containing your personal information by email.

The OIG adds that if you really do owe SSA money, the agency will mail you a letter with payment options and appeal rights. SSA does contact people by phone for business purposes, for example if you recently applied for a benefit or asked for a call. If there is a problem with your number or record, SSA says it will typically mail you a letter. A phone call that opens with a threat is not how this works.

How the scams usually look

Scammers change the story, but the OIG and the FTC describe the same patterns.

Phone calls

• The caller uses the name of a real SSA or OIG official, which is often easy to find online, and may cite a fake law enforcement "badge number".
• The caller says your number has been suspended, was used in a crime, or that your benefits will stop.
• Caller ID may show a real SSA number. The FTC states that caller ID can be faked.
• A recorded message asks you to press a number to speak to an agent. The FTC's advice is not to press numbers on a robocall.

Texts

The OIG notes that scammers text links asking you to "learn more" about a Social Security problem. Texts that arrive unexpectedly with a link, a deadline and a threat fit the pattern. Do not tap the link or reply. Delete the message after you report it.

Emails and letters

The OIG describes an email with the subject "Alert: Social Security Account Issues Detected" and an attachment on fake OIG letterhead. The attachment claims your number will be suspended and your case referred for prosecution. It uses an official-looking stamp such as "Official Document" and urges you to call a number. The OIG states it will never send letters like this. SSA also says it does not email official letters with your personal information.

Red flags at a glance

What to do when it happens

1. Stay calm and stop the conversation. The OIG says that if an unsolicited caller from a supposed government agency threatens you, hang up.
2. Do not press numbers, click links or open attachments. Do not send money or share personal or financial information.
3. Do not call the number in the message or on caller ID. Contact SSA directly with a number you trust. The FTC's advice is to call SSA at 1-800-772-1213, or use the contact information on ssa.gov.
4. Talk to someone you trust before paying anything. The OIG recommends this for any unexpected demand.
5. Report it (see below).

If the person on the line is aggressive or tells you not to hang up, that is part of the script. You can end the call at any time.

How to report

Reporting helps investigators see patterns and warn others. Use these official channels.

• SSA OIG scam form: https://secure.ssa.gov/oig/scam/ for someone impersonating SSA or the OIG, claiming a problem with your number or account, or demanding payment.
• SSA OIG fraud form: https://secure.ssa.gov/oig/fraud/ for misuse of a Social Security number or benefits, or false information to obtain benefits.
• SSA scam information: ssa.gov/scam.
• FTC: ReportFraud.ftc.gov. The FTC page on government impersonators also suggests reporting to your state attorney general.

The OIG says that providing information is voluntary, but leaving out details may limit its ability to complete an investigation, so keep the phone number, the date and time, any name used, and a note of what was said. For a text or email, keep a screenshot before you delete it.

If you already responded

How urgent this is depends on what you gave.

You shared your Social Security number or other personal information

The FTC's identity theft guidance suggests:

1. Report it at IdentityTheft.gov. You get a free personal recovery plan and pre-filled letters to send to credit bureaus, businesses and debt collectors.
2. Place a credit freeze. Contact Equifax, Experian and TransUnion. A freeze blocks new credit accounts from being opened in your name while it is in place, and it is free to place and lift.
3. Consider an initial fraud alert. You can place one even if you have a freeze. It asks businesses to verify your identity before opening new accounts, is free and lasts one year. Contact one of the three bureaus, and it must notify the other two.
4. Review your credit reports for accounts you do not recognize.
5. Check bills and bank statements for charges or withdrawals you did not make.

You paid

Payments by gift card, wire transfer, cryptocurrency or cash are hard to reverse. Contact the company or bank you used right away, tell them it was a scam and ask whether the payment can be stopped or reversed. Then report it to the FTC and the SSA OIG. For payment-app cases, see what to do after a Zelle, Venmo or Cash App scam. The guide on IRS impersonation scams covers a closely related script.

You clicked a link or opened an attachment

Do not enter anything on the page that opened. Close it. If you typed a password, change it on the real site and on any other site where you reuse it, and turn on multi-factor authentication. Run a security scan with the tool built into your device, and report the message as above.

Checking whether a contact is real

When you are unsure, do not use anything the message gives you. Instead:

1. Close the message.
2. Open a browser and type ssa.gov yourself. The OIG advises making sure you are on a federal government site before sharing sensitive information, and federal sites end in .gov or .mil and use https.
3. Use the contact page there, or call 1-800-772-1213, to ask whether SSA contacted you.
4. If you have a my Social Security account, sign in on ssa.gov directly, not from a link.

A genuine message will still be there after you check. A scam depends on you not checking.

Helping an older relative

Scammers often target older adults because they are more likely to receive SSA mail and calls. A few steps that help:

• Share the list of things SSA says it never does, and tape a copy near the phone.
• Agree on a rule that anyone who threatens or pressures should be hung up on, and that the relative can always say "I will call you back on a number I look up."
• Ask them to tell you before paying anyone, particularly by gift card or wire.
• If they have already paid, act the same day, since early contact gives the best chance of stopping a payment.

Summary checklist

1. SSA never suspends your number for a crime, threatens arrest, or demands gift cards, wire transfers, internet currency or cash by mail.
2. Do not trust caller ID, names, badge numbers or letterhead.
3. Hang up, delete, do not click, and contact SSA yourself at 1-800-772-1213 or through ssa.gov.
4. Report to the SSA OIG at secure.ssa.gov/oig/scam/ and the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.
5. If you shared information, use IdentityTheft.gov and consider a credit freeze and fraud alert.
6. If you paid, contact your bank or payment provider immediately.

References

• SSA Office of the Inspector General, SSA IG Updates Warning for Social Security Phone Scams: https://oig.ssa.gov/news-releases/2021-01-08-newsroom-news-releases-ssa-ig-updates-warning-social-security-phone-scams
• SSA OIG, Unexpected Letter, Text, or Email from the Social Security Administration Office of Inspector General? Think Scam First: https://oig.ssa.gov/scam-alerts/2025-11-12-unexpected-letter-text-or-email-from-the-social-security-administration-office-of-inspector-general-think-scam-first/
• SSA OIG, report a scam: https://oig.ssa.gov/report/
• SSA, What should I do if I receive a call from someone claiming to be a Social Security employee: https://www.ssa.gov/faqs/en/questions/KA-10018.html
• FTC, How To Avoid a Government Impersonation Scam: https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/how-avoid-government-impersonator-scam
• FTC, What To Know About Identity Theft: https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/what-know-about-identity-theft