By Leada Gore
al.com
(TNS)
The Social Security Administration is warning retirees about a “significant increase” in a type of scam that could compromise their personal information.
The SSA’s Office of Inspector General issued an alert about imposter scam emails—emails that falsely claim to provide access to a recipient’s Social Security statement. Clicking links in emails can lead to identity theft, financial loss, and compromised data, the agency warned.
“We are seeing a sharp increase in fraudulent emails designed to look like official Social Security Administration communications,” said Michelle L. Anderson, assistant inspector general for audit. “These messages are not from Social Security. Anyone who receives one should delete it immediately and report it.”
The scam emails are designed to look legitimate with official-looking language, logos, colors and formatting that encourage users to click links or download attachments. Once clicked, the links may install malware or direct victims to fake websites intended to steal personal and financial information.
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Common warning signs of the bogus email are:
- Messages claiming your Social Security statement is ready to download.
- Embedded links or attachments labeled as statements or documents.
- Messages creating urgency or pressure to act immediately.
- Sender addresses that do not end in “.gov.”
If you get one of the emails, don’t click on any links and delete the email. If you need to access your Social Security account, type ssa.gov/myaccount.
What if you’ve clicked on a link in a scam email?
- Stop all communication with the suspected scammer.
- Contact your financial institutions to protect accounts.
- Report the incident to the SSA OIG at oig.ssa.gov/report.
- File a complaint with the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center at ic3.gov.
- Report the scam to the Federal Trade Commission at ftc.gov.
- If you lose money, contact your local law enforcement.
Photo credit: filo/iStock
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©2026 Advance Local Media LLC. Visit al.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency LLC.
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