Q & A
Beware: When did Social Security start sending emails to people asking them to create a “my Social Security” account?
Full Question: When did Social Security start sending emails to people asking them to create a “my Social Security” account? I have never provided my email to Social Security.
Answer: The email you received is not from Social Security. Be warned that “phishing” emails encouraging you to create a “my Social Security” account are circulating. If you receive such an email, do not click on the links. This email is not from Social Security. The “my Social Security” service is indeed a new offering for the public, but the agency is not sending emails to generate enrollment. You should go directly to our “my Social Security” page if you want to create your account. Here are a few tips on how to detect a fraudulent email message:
- Any email coming from Social Security will come from an email address ending in “.gov” — although you should not trust the “From” address since attackers can spoof this address.
- Any email coming from Social Security will not have email addresses associated with private companies such as Yahoo, Hotmail, Gmail, etc.
- Poor word choice, phrasing, spelling or extra words that are not needed in the text should raise red flags.
- Links to Social Security websites will always begin with http://www.social <code_dp displayname=”code_dp” name=”code_dp”>security.gov/ or https://secure. <code_dp displayname=”code_dp” name=”code_dp”>ssa.gov/ (the slash after “.gov” is important). If you are suspicious of a link in an email, use your mouse to “hover over” the link to see the actual Web address.
- Requests for personal information are another red flag. Never respond to such emails. No reputable business or public agency will ever ask you for personal information in an email.
- In general, only go to websites you trust and never click on links that appear suspicious. Criminals use phony websites and links to trick you into giving them personal information or downloading viruses or spyware.
Members of the public who receive phishing emails should forward them to the U.S. Computer Emergency Readiness Team at phishing-report@us-cert.gov.
Source: Oscar Garcia, MySanAntonio.com – February 1, 2014
Notice: The source link provided above connects readers to the full text of the posted article. The URL (internet address) for this link is valid on the posted date; socialsecurityreport.org cannot guarantee the duration of the link’s validity. Also, the opinions expressed in these postings are the viewpoints of the original source and are not explicitly endorsed by AMAC, Inc., the AMAC Foundation, or socialsecurityreport.org.
I need a letter that say how much i get
Johnny, you can get a Benefit Verification Letter from Social Security by contacting them at the general number (800.772.1213), or by contacting your local SS office (find it at http://www.ssa.gov/locator), or by requesting it online. To request a benefit verification letter online, you will first need to create your personal “My Social Security” account at http://www.ssa.gov. Once you have created your online account, you can get your Benefit Verification Letter online, as well as have access to all of your Social Security information.
Russell Gloor
National Social Security Advisor
The AMAC Foundation.
Please call.James Nardelli.914-282-4741..i need help with a couple of things.and my phone and computer and my e-mail has been attacked. please call.concerned about my disability money,medicaid,medicare issues. something is wrong.and services i get for my disability here in westchester county (HDSW)mamaroneck) 5 years don’t provide what MEDICAID pays them for services..a long story.please ,don’t want to become homeless AGAIN.. 914-282-4741..
James,
One of our AMAC Foundation Social Security Advisory staff members will call you as soon as possible.
Russell Gloor
AMAC Social Security Advisor
The email above for reporting spam is saying its unvaild when trying to send a message via Gmail.
U.S. Computer Emergency Readiness Team
phishing-report@us-cert.gov
i have just been contacted by phone what i believe to be a scam! The number was called from 1-908-4496 !!!
I received an email today at 3:54 a.m. claiming to be from the SSA.
I would like to report this but cannot find the appropriate department
It did NOT begin with www. Social Security, but asked me to check to make sure that my SS is correct
I believe that millions of people have received this message and will open it.
Fiona:
Thank you for reporting this. You should re-direct the message you received to:
Social Security Fraud Hotline
P.O. Box 17785
Baltimore, Maryland 21235
For more information on reporting situations like this, check out the post at https://oig.ssa.gov/report.
Thanks again.
Gerry Hafer
AMAC Foundation
I have received an email from social security
http://www.socialsecurity.gov/reviewyourstatemnet .
Is this a legit? I’m suppose to review my social security statement?
Bernice Taylor/ 20 February 2018
Bernice:
If you were not actively using the Social Security Administration website, and since this message did not originate from a secured site (note that the http pfrefix does not reflect https, indicating that the message may not be encrypted), I would suspect its legitimacy. The incidence of “phishng” emails on the internet is rampant these days, so my advice is to avoid responding to any emails you did not expect to receive. This document (https://oig.ssa.gov/sites/default/files/audit/full/pdf/SSA%20Scam%20Warning%20Fact%20Sheet.pdf) posted by the SSA will give you some background on the issue, and note the comment “If you have questions about any communication—email, letter, text, or phone call—that claims to be
from SSA or the OIG, please contact your local Social Security office. You can call Social Security’s toll-free customer service number at 1-800-772-1213, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.,
Monday through Friday, to verify call or email legitimacy.”
Stay safe!
Gerry Hafer
AMAC Foundation, Inc.
I started receiving out of the clear blue sky email from ssa.gov, I have NOT logged into SSA for YEARS. The site security is too difficult to use – and I am an information security engineer. With so much phishing going on, it is unbelievable that SSA is spamming people – there is no unsubscribe option, you have to reset your password, and it is a TOTAL hassle. Looking at the headers, it is from SSA: Received: from bulkmailout3.ssa.gov ([2001:1930:e03::1a])
Garbage, total garbage from SSA.
How can I check my disability status online, it keeps asking 8 digit confirmation number and I don’t have that.
This is an email I received today 5/7/2014…Is this a new “phishing” scam?
“Dear (My First Name Only Was Entered Here):
We’d like to remind you to review your Social Security Statement online. The Statement has important Social Security information and, if applicable, estimates of your future benefits.
If you are working, we encourage you to check your Statement yearly to make sure your earnings record is correct. The Statement also will help in planning your financial future.
To view your most recent Statement, please visit “www.socialsecurity.gov/signin” and sign into your account.
Please do not reply to this E-mail, as we are unable to respond to messages sent to this address.”
Ms. Thiebolt:
It appears that this is simply a reminder to review your earnings records. The website you are asked to visit appears to link correctly to the official SSA site (https://secure.ssa.gov), a secure website. You might want to forward the email to the U.S. Computer Emergency Readiness Team at phishing-report@us-cert.gov as suggested in the Q&A item above, just to verify.
Thank you.
The Social Security Report Staff