Elderly recipients of Social Security
benefits are a highly targeted group for online con artists. Some scams
operate over the phone, typically through callers impersonating Social
Security Administration (SSA) employees who solicit personal information
from senior citizens. Other scams originate online using email or
online forms which request personal information by preying on the
victim's limited understanding of online technology.
A common scam targets Social Security recipients through email, otherwise known as a phishing scam. The Canadian government's Get Cyber Safe initiative explains that 156 million phishing emails are sent each day across the world, and 80 thousand people fall victim to these scams. In Social Security phishing, victims most often receive an email from an individual impersonating the SSA and offering a new benefit available for claim. In order to claim the benefit, the victim is asked to fill out a form detailing highly sensitive information, such as his or her name, Social Security number, license number, and other information that can be used to perpetrate fraud. The goal of this type of scam is often to steal the senior citizen's identity so the impersonator can open up new credit cards, bank accounts and even receive benefits in the victim's name.
In another common type of Social Security scam, people impersonating Social Security employees call senior citizens to conduct fraudulent over-the-phone surveys. These surveys solicit similar information to the email scam, including names, Social Security numbers and bank account information. The impersonators will often tell the victim this information is required in order to process additional benefits the victim is entitled to. They may also claim that due to a computer glitch, the victim's personal information is lost and he or she will not be able to receive benefits until the new information is gathered.
Potential victims of Social Security scams can protect themselves by
examining any email or phone correspondences they receive which ask for
highly personal information. The SSA has released an official statement
stating that its representatives do not request personal information
through email. Scam emails claiming to be from the SSA may appear
authentic, but a phone call to the recipient's local Social Security
office can help validate suspicious information and identify con
artists.
A common scam targets Social Security recipients through email, otherwise known as a phishing scam. The Canadian government's Get Cyber Safe initiative explains that 156 million phishing emails are sent each day across the world, and 80 thousand people fall victim to these scams. In Social Security phishing, victims most often receive an email from an individual impersonating the SSA and offering a new benefit available for claim. In order to claim the benefit, the victim is asked to fill out a form detailing highly sensitive information, such as his or her name, Social Security number, license number, and other information that can be used to perpetrate fraud. The goal of this type of scam is often to steal the senior citizen's identity so the impersonator can open up new credit cards, bank accounts and even receive benefits in the victim's name.
In another common type of Social Security scam, people impersonating Social Security employees call senior citizens to conduct fraudulent over-the-phone surveys. These surveys solicit similar information to the email scam, including names, Social Security numbers and bank account information. The impersonators will often tell the victim this information is required in order to process additional benefits the victim is entitled to. They may also claim that due to a computer glitch, the victim's personal information is lost and he or she will not be able to receive benefits until the new information is gathered.
While social security scams have some unique features, they are similar to all information phishing scams
in that they can be avoided. The SSA states that most official Social
Security forms and emails come from .gov addresses. Other types of
addresses are likely to be phishing scams. Any suspicious
information-gathering activity from someone claiming to work for Social
Security should be reported to the SSA so that a fraud report can be
filed, protecting others from fraudulent activity in the future.
Culled from investopedia
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