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If a caller claims to be from Social Security and asks for money, personal information, secrecy, or an urgent action, treat the call as a scam until you verify it independently. Caller ID, a caller’s name, a badge image, and an alleged transfer to another agency do not prove authenticity. Hang up, do not call back using the number provided, and contact Social Security yourself at 1-800-772-1213.
Report a Social Security impersonation attempt to the Social Security Administration Office of the Inspector General (SSA OIG). Also report government impersonation to the Federal Trade Commission at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. If you gave away your Social Security number or other identity information, use the FTC’s identity-theft service at IdentityTheft.gov. If money moved, contact your bank or payment provider immediately through a number on your card or statement.
How can I tell if a call from Social Security is legitimate?
You usually cannot authenticate an unexpected caller while remaining on the call. The safe test is to end the conversation and initiate contact through a published Social Security number yourself. SSA guidance says scammers can spoof official government numbers, including local police numbers, so the number displayed on your phone is not evidence that the call came from Social Security.
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A real employee’s name, employee number, badge photograph, or official-sounding vocabulary is not authentication either. Scammers commonly combine public information with realistic scripts. Never confirm your address, date of birth, Social Security number, bank details, one-time code, or benefit information merely because the caller already knows part of it.
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The four signals that should make you stop
| Signal | What the caller does | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Impersonation | Claims to be Social Security, another government office, a bank, police, or a familiar company | Trust in a recognizable institution is being used to lower your defenses. |
| Invented problem or prize | Says your Social Security number, benefits, account, or legal status has a problem, or that you won money | The story creates an emotional reason to respond before you check facts. |
| Pressure | Demands immediate action, threatens arrest or suspension, or orders you not to tell anyone | Urgency and secrecy prevent independent verification. |
| Prescribed payment | Requests gift cards, precious metals, prepaid cards, a wire, cryptocurrency, cash, or a transfer to a “safe” account | These payment methods are difficult to reverse and are not how Social Security collects legitimate debts. |
Specific Social Security red flags
- A threat that your Social Security number will be suspended, canceled, seized, or linked to a crime.
- A demand for immediate payment to keep benefits active or avoid arrest.
- An instruction to move money to protect it. Government agencies do not help people move money into a protective account.
- A request for bank information or other personal details that arrives unexpectedly.
- A request that you stay on the line, keep the call secret, or use a callback number, link, or app supplied by the caller.
- A claim that another company or agency can transfer your call directly to Social Security or the OIG. In its July 29, 2026 scam update, SSA states: “Legitimate companies and other agencies cannot transfer your phone call directly to SSA or OIG.”
Social Security will not unexpectedly ask for personal or bank information, threaten to seize an account, or demand payment by gift card, precious metal, prepaid card, wire transfer, cryptocurrency, or cash. A caller can sound polite and still be fraudulent; the requested action matters more than the caller’s tone.
What should I do while a suspicious caller is on the line?
- Stop providing information. Do not confirm details, read a code, click a link, install software, or press a keypad option at the caller’s direction.
- End the call. You do not need to argue or persuade the caller. A simple “I will contact Social Security directly” is enough, then hang up.
- Do not use the supplied callback details. Ignore a number, email address, text link, QR code, or transfer option provided during the contact.
- Call Social Security yourself. Dial 1-800-772-1213 using a number you obtained independently. This is the verification route; do not ask the original caller to prove who they are.
- Record the incident after the call. Write down the date and time, the number displayed and any number used, the name or agency claimed, what was requested, payment instructions, links, and what information you disclosed.
If the caller says your bank account is compromised and tells you to move funds, stop. Hang up and call the bank using the number printed on your card or statement. Do not transfer money to “protect” it, and do not let the caller stay on the line while you contact the bank.
How do I report a Social Security scam?
Use the SSA OIG online reporting form for suspicious calls, letters, texts, and emails involving a Social Security number, account, benefits, or payments. The form is the appropriate route for an impersonation attempt even when you did not lose money.
Online reporting
The OIG form asks how the contact occurred and requests incident details such as the date, phone numbers and carrier, displayed or actual email addresses, URLs, the scammer’s instructions, whether money was lost, and whether you are still in contact. Include facts rather than conclusions: who contacted you, what was said, when and where it happened, how you responded, and why you believe the contact was fraudulent.
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Reporting is voluntary. You may omit information, but incomplete details can limit an investigation. If you want an OIG employee to be able to identify you during a later contact, the form includes a field for a personal five-digit PIN. Request that PIN if an OIG employee later contacts you; do not treat an unsolicited caller’s request for a PIN as proof of identity.
Other SSA OIG routes
| Channel | Contact | Availability or privacy note |
|---|---|---|
| Anonymous hotline | 1-800-269-0271 | 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Eastern Time, Monday through Friday, excluding federal holidays. The SSA FAQ describes anonymous reports through the phone, fax, or mail routes. |
| TTY hotline | 1-866-501-2101 | Use the published OIG information for current operating details. |
| Fax | 1-410-597-0118 | Include the incident facts and a way to follow up only if you want one. |
| Social Security Fraud Hotline P.O. Box 17785 Baltimore, MD 21235-7785 |
Mail reports can be anonymous. Keep a copy of what you send. |
Hotline hours, addresses, and form fields can change. Check the live OIG page before submitting, especially if you are relying on a telephone, fax, or postal route.
Which Social Security report should I file?
Do not confuse an impersonation scam with suspected fraud in a Social Security program or operation. Both may involve the OIG, but the facts and reporting paths differ.
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| Your situation | Best first channel | What to emphasize |
|---|---|---|
| Someone pretended to be Social Security and demanded information or payment | SSA OIG scam report | The contact method, displayed and actual numbers or addresses, script, payment demand, links, and any loss. |
| You suspect fraud in a Social Security benefit, employee action, or agency operation | SSA OIG fraud-reporting routes listed in the SSA FAQ | The program or operation involved, people or entities involved, dates, and supporting records. |
| You want to report government impersonation more broadly | FTC ReportFraud.ftc.gov | How the impersonator used a government identity and whether money or information was taken. |
| Your Social Security number or identity information was misused | IdentityTheft.gov | What information was exposed or used and any resulting account or financial activity. |
Should I report the scam to the FTC?
Yes. The FTC accepts government-impersonation reports at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. Filing with the FTC does not replace an SSA OIG report; the two agencies collect reports for different enforcement and consumer-protection purposes.
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The FTC reported on September 25, 2026, that people made more than 375,000 reports about government-impersonation scams and lost more than $900 million collectively in 2025. That figure covers government impersonation broadly, not Social Security scams alone, so it should not be read as an SSA-specific loss total.
What should I do if I sent money?
- Contact the bank, card issuer, wire service, cryptocurrency provider, or other payment company immediately. Use contact information from your card, statement, or the provider’s independently verified website, not anything the caller supplied.
- Explain that the transaction resulted from an impersonation scam. Ask what cancellation, recall, freeze, or fraud-review options are available for that payment method. Act quickly, but do not assume a transfer can be reversed.
- Report the incident to SSA OIG and the FTC. Include the payment method, amount, date, recipient details, and transaction or confirmation number.
- Use IdentityTheft.gov if identity information was exposed or misused. Start there when your Social Security number, account credentials, or other identifying information has been used for identity theft.
No agency can promise that a report will recover your money. A report still matters because it preserves information about the scheme and may connect related complaints.
What if I gave the caller my Social Security number or bank details?
Tell the OIG and FTC exactly what you disclosed, when you disclosed it, and whether the caller used the information during the contact. If bank information was shared, contact the bank through an independently verified number and describe the exposure. If your Social Security number or other identity information was misused, use IdentityTheft.gov for the FTC’s identity-theft process.
Do not continue communicating with the scammer to gather evidence. Preserve what you already have instead: screenshots, voicemails, emails, text messages, caller-ID details, payment receipts, wallet addresses, and the original links or phone numbers. Do not forward malicious links to other people; record the address as displayed in the message or form.
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What information makes a scam report useful?
Prepare a short timeline before you submit. The OIG form is designed to capture the following:
- When: incident date and approximate time, including follow-up contacts.
- How: phone call, letter, text message, email, website, social-media message, or another method.
- Who: the name, agency, company, or employee identity claimed by the contact.
- Where: phone numbers, email addresses, websites, URLs, mailing addresses, or payment destinations shown.
- What: the story, threats, promises, requested information, and requested payment method.
- Outcome: whether you replied, shared information, sent money, clicked a link, installed anything, or remain in contact.
- Evidence: copies of messages, recordings where lawful, screenshots, receipts, and transaction references.
Be precise about what you know versus what you suspect. If you do not know the actual number behind a spoofed call, say that the displayed number may have been falsified. If you do not know the recipient’s identity, provide the account, wallet, gift-card, or wire details you received.
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“Your Social Security number is suspended”
Social Security numbers are not suspended by calling you and demanding payment. Hang up, independently call 1-800-772-1213, and report the impersonation to SSA OIG and the FTC.
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An arrest threat is pressure, not verification. Do not stay on the line, do not keep the matter secret, and do not send cash, cryptocurrency, gift cards, precious metals, or a wire.
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“Move your savings to a government account”
There is no government safe account for protecting your money from a scam investigation. Call your bank directly using the number on your card or statement and explain what happened.
“Another agency will transfer you to SSA OIG”
End the call. SSA says legitimate companies and other agencies cannot transfer a phone call directly to SSA or OIG. Start a new call using the official Social Security number or OIG reporting page.
“We need a code to verify your identity”
Do not read a one-time code or approve a login request because an unexpected caller asks. Record the request and report the contact; verify any account issue through a channel you initiate.
How to avoid being fooled by caller ID
Caller ID is a display feature, not an authentication system. A scammer can make a call appear to come from a government office or even a local police number. Letting an unexpected call go to voicemail can give you time to evaluate it, but a voicemail that repeats threats or a callback number is not proof of legitimacy. Use only contact details you obtain independently from an official Social Security or OIG page.
Likewise, do not treat a caller’s professional language, employee name, badge image, case number, or knowledge of public information as proof. Verification requires a separate contact that you start yourself.
What happens after I report?
The OIG and FTC use reports to identify patterns and support investigations, but filing a report does not guarantee a personal response, prosecution, or recovery of funds. Providing complete, accurate details improves the usefulness of the complaint. If an OIG employee later contacts you and you created a five-digit PIN through the form, use that PIN as one part of the follow-up process; never disclose additional sensitive information merely because a caller claims to be following up.
Keep your confirmation information and copies of submitted materials. If new contacts arrive, update the agencies and your bank or payment provider with the new date, number, address, or transaction details.
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A quick checklist
- Caller ID, names, badges, and claimed transfers do not authenticate an unexpected call.
- Hang up and call Social Security at 1-800-772-1213 yourself.
- Never move money to protect it or pay with gift cards, precious metals, prepaid cards, wires, cryptocurrency, or cash because a caller orders you to.
- Report Social Security impersonation to SSA OIG.
- Report government impersonation to ReportFraud.ftc.gov.
- Use IdentityTheft.gov when your Social Security number or other identity information was misused.
- After any payment, call the bank or payment provider immediately using independently verified contact information.
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