With Social Security benefits already facing various challenges under the Donald Trump administration, retired people in the US are now facing another threat aimed at scamming them out of their money. A new type of scammer has now started calling retired people receiving social security benefits and claiming that they have been overpaid. If they do not make immediate payments for the extra money they received, there will be consequences.
The retirees naturally get scared upon receiving such calls because the scammers claim that they are from the IRS or Social Security. The scammers also threaten these people with the loss of their benefits or even with jail time if they do not pay up the extra money they had received.
When faced with such a situation, it is important to remember that no federal agency will make such personal calls and demand information like one’s social security number or bank account details. Even if someone has been overpaid, the federal government department responsible for looking after that issue will follow a different and more secure method.
The key to avoid getting scammed by such calls is to identify the signs right from the beginning. First of all, the scammers now call from spoofed numbers that might be displayed as SSA on one’s phone. If you receive an email from a scammer, it may come from a fake address mimicking an original government one, like gov.ssa@protonmail.com.
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Moreover, such texts or emails directly demand the extra money to be paid back, something which a government agency will never do. It is therefore best not to respond to such calls or emails. Even if one does pick up the phone from a scammer, it is always best to hang up immediately once they demand the money, as that is the sure sign of a scammer trying to loot an innocent person.
As per reports by MoneyDigest, “The SSA reports that while most scam types declined, the Social Security scam surged in 2024, with retirees aged 70 to 84 and 85 above, losing an average of $7,492 to $11,902 per incident.” This is no small amount, and retired people need to be extra careful about giving out their details to anyone over the phone or email.
To ensure safety from such scams, retired people should directly contact the Social Security Administration. They can report such attempts as well to the SSA through oig.ssa.gov/report or visit a local office. One should always keep in mind that even if they have been overpaid by the SSA, that information will arrive at them via mail, and it would never demand that they pay money immediately.
In case one falls victim to such scams and loses money, it is important to keep a record of the calls or the emails that led to such financial loss, as they would be required as evidence when one files a complaint.
