News

April is Social Security Month. According to the Social Security Administration (SSA) and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), Social Security Scams are the most reported type of government impersonation fraud in the United States. This fraud disproportionately affects older adults, costing this population group millions of dollars in benefit losses.

In March, the Social Security Administration launched a public awareness campaign called National “Slam the Scam” Day with the goal of educating people about Social Security scams and other government imposter scams. This effort was part of National Consumer Protection Week, which ran March 1 -7, 2026.

In 2025, the FTC received over 330,000 complaints of government imposter scams, an increase of 25% from 2024. SSA remains one of the most frequently impersonated agencies, with scammers often targeting older adults, individuals with limited English proficiency and veterans. To help prevent losses, SSA urges everyone to use caution when receiving calls, texts, emails or messages from someone claiming to be from a government agency.

Recognizing the basic signs of a scam gives you the power to ignore criminals and report the scam. Remind your clients, friends, and family that scammers often:

• Pretend to be from an agency or organization you know to gain trust.
• Say there is a problem or that you’ve won a prize.
• Pressure you to act immediately.
• Tell you to pay in a specific way, such as with gift cards, wire transfers, or cryptocurrency.

Please also remind your clients, friends and family to:

• Hang up on suspicious calls from “government officials” claiming there is a problem with your Social Security number or account.
• Never make payments with gift cards, wire transfers, or by mailing cash.
• Report Social Security-related scams to OIG.SSA.GOV.
• Report other scams to reportfraud.ftc.gov.