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Protect Your Social Security Number

A person pretending to be from the Social Security Administration (SSA) or the SSA Office of Inspector General (OIG) may offer to use your Social Security Number (SSN) to verify your employment records or address, or to check whether anyone has fraudulently applied for benefits in your name. It sounds helpful — but sharing your number this way can open the door to identity theft.

How the Scam Works

A caller or online contact suggests they can use your SSN and other personal information to confirm your employment history, verify your address, or check for fraudulent benefit applications made in your name. They may direct you to an online form or official-looking website.

This is a common pretext scammers use to get your SSN and other personal information. They can then use this information to commit identity theft or fraudulently apply for benefits.

Remember that real Social Security Administration and SSA OIG employees will never:

  • Contact you unexpectedly to ask for personal information or bank account details.
  • Threaten to suspend your SSN or seize your bank account.
  • Tell you to transfer or move your money to protect it.
  • Demand payment by gift cards, gold, prepaid debit cards, payment apps, cryptocurrency, wire transfers, or cash.
  • Ask you to keep secrets.

Be Scam Aware

  • Keep your SSN private. Don’t share your SSN with anyone who contacts you first, no matter how routine the request sounds.
  • Check your earnings record and benefit information directly and securely through your personal my Social Security account at https://www.ssa.gov/myaccount.
  • Never confirm or provide any personal information or payment to unexpected contacts— hang up. Call Social Security directly at 1-800-772-1213.
  • Visit ssa.gov/scam to report Social Security-related scams and learn more.
  • If you think you are a victim of identity theft, report the theft to the Federal Trade Commission at www.identitytheft.gov.

Download a PDF of this press release here.

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