Emails to apply for retirement starting in 2025 are phony

The Social Security Administration (SSA) Office of the Inspector General (OIG) is warning the public of a new scam tactic by criminals trying to lure potential retirement applicants to their site.

This recent scam email appears to be from SSA and has the subject line: “Claim Benefits!” It states “Important: Apply for Your Social Security Benefits Starting in 2025”. The link within the phony email is disguised as SSA’s official website, www.ssa.gov or www.socialsecurity.gov. Clicking on the link within the email redirects individuals to a fraudulent site.

THIS EMAIL IS NOT FROM SSA.

One example of this new imposter email is shown here. It is important to see that the email is from “Social Administration,” and reflects a personal or non-government email address. Government agencies always have “.gov” as part of their official email address.

SSA OIG is advising you to always be cautious of responding to unsolicited emails that appear to be from an official government entity, such as SSA, or another federal agency. These emails are a variation of government imposter scams. DELETE IT. Don’t click on links or respond to any text, email, phone call, or letter that has characteristics of a scam. See warning signs at ssa.gov/scam. To contact SSA for business purposes, visit ssa.gov to find the correct information.

“Scammers use benefits, benefit increases, prizes, or problems to attract your attention so that they can entice or intimidate unsuspecting persons with their ploys,” said Michelle L. Anderson, Assistant Inspector General for Audit performing the duties of the Inspector General. “Our priorities are to educate consumers on how to avoid these vicious attempts and to help you keep your personal identifying information and money secure. We will continue to tell you when we become aware of tactics such as this one.”

WHAT TO DO IF YOU ARE A VICTIM
• Stop talking to the scammer. Notify financial institutions and safeguard accounts.
• Report Social Security-related scams to SSA OIG (oig.ssa.gov).
• Contact local law enforcement and file a police report.
• If you lost money, file a complaint with the Federal Bureau of Investigation Internet Crime Complaint Center (ic3.gov).
• Report other scams to the Federal Trade Commission (ftc.gov).
• Keep financial transaction information and the record of all communications with the scammer.

To view the Scam Alert, click here (add attachment, media release). And visit https://www.ssa.gov/scam/ to learn how to protect yourself and report Social Security related scams.

If you suspect Medicare fraud, contact your local SHIP-SMP program by calling the Helpline at 866-413-5337.

Recently, several financial institutions in the Tallahassee area have reported finding skimming devices on some of their ATMs. Regardless of where you live, it is important to understand what skimming is and how to protect yourself from it.

According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), skimming occurs when devices illegally installed on or outside ATMs, point-of-sale (POS) terminals, or fuel pumps capture card data and record cardholders’ PIN entries. Criminals use the collected data to create fake payment cards and then make unauthorized purchases or steal from victims’ accounts.

The attached United States Secret Service (USSS) flyer includes advice on mitigation and prevention for individual cardholders as follows:

“Immediately contact the card issuer’s fraud department to report the incident, ask that the card be deactivated, and ask that a new card be issued with a new PIN. Monitor the affected account closely. If you suffered a financial loss as a result of the skimming incident, consider filing a fraud affidavit with the card issuer and contacting your local law enforcement agency to report the incident. In the future, consider making purchases using cards which can transact through contactless payment (i.e., tap-to-pay) or with the card’s new EMV chip, instead of the magnetic strip.”

Please see the links below from the USSS and FBI, which provide useful information about skimming, the various types of skimming scams, and tips on how to protect yourself.

https://www.secretservice.gov/investigations/skimming

https://www.fbi.gov/how-we-can-help-you/scams-and-safety/common-frauds-and-scams/skimming

A Public Service Announcement from the Area Agency on Aging for Southwest Florida, Inc., the state-designated disability and aging resource center for Charlotte, Collier, Desoto, Glades, Hendry, Lee and Sarasota counties funded in part by the State of Florida Department of Elder Affairs.