A scam email is making the rounds, most recently to my inbox.
It’s designed to target people who receive Social Security benefits and those who have recently applied.
The subject line said: “Update: New Terms and Conditions for Your Account.”
Like most Americans, I do indeed have an online account with Social Security. But this email had lots of red flags.
Let’s go through them together.
The sender:
The email said it was from the “SSA Application Analytics Team,” but looking at the actual email address showed it had nothing to do with Social Security. This was an imposter scam.
Even if an email address appears to be from the agency, beware. Some scammers will use the words “Social Security” or “SSA” in the actual email address, or misspell those terms, or even use a zero instead of the letter “O” in an attempt to be sly.
The body of the email:
It’s typical for scammers to be located overseas, living in places where English is not their native language. So it’s common for phishing emails to have misspellings or grammatical mistakes.
That wasn’t really the case here.
But in this email, email, there were lots of miscellaneous words smattered through the message, such as “strengthen,” “Israeli,” “shopping” and “sister.” Some were bold, others were italicized. And none of them had anything to do with the message.
This email from a scammer impersonating Social Security had lots of misplaced words in it.Karin Price Mueller
It’s a little unclear what those words were supposed to accomplish, but they certainly made the attempt to impersonate a professional email from the federal government pretty pathetic.
The message, when you take out the miscellaneous words, said:
“Thank you for your recent application. We wanted to inform you that a detailed decision will be sent to you by mail within the next 30 days. Alternatively, you can conveniently check the status of your application online at any time using the link below.”
And then the link — which can be a scammer’s money shot — followed.
The link:
Simply put, it wasn’t for the Social Security Administration’s website, which is SSA.gov.
I didn’t click. The link most certainly would have led to malware being downloaded onto my computer. Or just as bad, it would have tried to lure me, and others who received it, into entering personal information that could later be used to steal an unsuspecting consumer’s identity.
We’re not sharing the link here because we don’t want you to be tempted to check it out.
TIPS FROM SOCIAL SECURITY
We sent the email to the folks at the Social Security Administration, who confirmed the email indeed was not from the agency.
It said the Social Security Administration will never:
- Text or email images of an employee’s official government identification.
- Suspend your Social Security number.
- Threaten you with arrest or other legal action unless you immediately pay a fine or fee.
- Require payment by retail gift card, wire transfer, internet currency, or cash by mail.
- Promise a benefit increase or other assistance in exchange for payment.
- Mail or email “official” letters or reports containing your personal information.
It also said it will only send text messages if you have opted in to receive texts from the agency. It will only send texts in “limited situations,” including as part of its “enhanced security” to access your Social Security account online.
Think two-factor authentication.
It won’t ask for money by email or text, it said.
“If you owe money to us, we will mail you a letter with payment options and appeal rights,” the agency said.
Social Security encourages everyone to learn more about Social Security scams, and how to report attempted fraud, at ssa.gov/scam/.
We encourage it, too.
Stories by Karin Price Mueller
Please subscribe now and support the local journalism YOU rely on and trust.
Karin Price Mueller may be reached at KPriceMueller@NJAdvanceMedia.com. Follow her on X at @KPMueller.