Confused about Social Security WEP/GPO elimination verification email - how to respond?

wait is the wep/gpo really gone now???? i haven't gotten any email but i'm a retired firefighter getting hammered by both too. are you sure this isn't some kind of phishing scam?

This is almost certainly a scam email. The Social Security Fairness Act to repeal WEP/GPO has NOT been passed into law yet. While there has been progress, it's still working its way through Congress. SSA would never send mass emails asking for verification of direct deposit information this way. I strongly recommend you: 1. Do NOT click any links in that email 2. Do NOT provide any personal or financial information 3. Forward the email to the official SSA fraud reporting email: oig.dsc@ssa.gov 4. Change your MySocialSecurity password immediately if you entered it after clicking a link in that email The fact that they're promising a specific increase ($450) is another red flag - SSA wouldn't calculate this in advance before legislation passes.

I'VE BEEN GETTING THESE STUPID SCAM EMAILS TOO!!! They're getting smarter with how they target us. I got one last month saying they were adjusting my benefits due to "inflation protection legislation" - TOTAL GARBAGE!!!! SSA never emails about benefit changes - they send OFFICIAL LETTERS by MAIL!!! These scammers are targeting people who get hit by WEP/GPO because they know we're desperate for any relief. It's DISGUSTING how they prey on retired public servants!!!!

My husband got the exact same email last week! He's retired state police and gets both WEP and GPO reductions. I told him it was fishy right away because it mentioned a specific dollar amount increase.

For everyone's reference, here's how to verify if communications from SSA are legitimate: 1. SSA primarily communicates through mailed letters on official letterhead 2. SSA will never email or text asking you to update direct deposit information 3. SSA will never threaten you or promise specific benefit increases tied to pending legislation 4. Any legitimate SSA email would direct you to log into your account independently (not via an email link) 5. SSA representatives will always be able to reference specific letters mailed to you Regarding WEP/GPO reform specifically - while there are several bills in Congress (Social Security Fairness Act, etc.), none have been passed into law. When/if legislation does pass, SSA would likely take months to implement the changes and would communicate through official channels with specific timelines. If anyone is unsure about communications they receive, call SSA directly at 1-800-772-1213 (but expect very long wait times).

Hey, I had a similar issue trying to contact SSA last month about my WEP reduction calculation. After getting disconnected three times and waiting on hold for hours, I found this service called Claimyr that got me through to an actual SSA agent in about 20 minutes. You might want to check out their demo video at https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU - it shows how it works. I used their service at claimyr.com and it saved me so much frustration. The agent I spoke with confirmed that any WEP/GPO changes would come through official mail correspondence, not email.

As someone who worked for SSA for over 20 years before retiring, I can confirm what others have said - this is 100% a phishing scam. The Social Security Fairness Act (H.R.82) to repeal WEP/GPO has not been enacted yet. When dealing with WEP/GPO issues, it's important to understand a few key facts: 1. WEP affects your own retirement benefits if you receive a pension from non-covered work (where you didn't pay SS taxes) 2. GPO affects spousal or survivor benefits if you receive a government pension from non-covered work 3. Any changes to these provisions would require an act of Congress and be widely publicized 4. SSA implementation of any major law change typically takes 6-12 months minimum If you ever need to verify the status of WEP/GPO legislation, check congress.gov or ssa.gov directly - never trust emails or calls. And please report this phishing attempt to protect others.

has anybody heard anything NEW about the fairness act? i heard it had like 300+ co-sponsors in the house but then nothing happened with it?

My sister works for our state retirement system and she said they're getting flooded with calls from retirees who got similar scam emails. The scammers are really targeting public pensioners right now!

Just wanted to add my experience - I'm a retired postal worker and got hit with the same scam email about 2 weeks ago. What really bothered me was how detailed it was - they knew I was affected by WEP and even mentioned my approximate benefit reduction amount. I called SSA directly (waited 3 hours but finally got through) and the agent confirmed it was a scam. She said they've had a huge uptick in these targeted phishing attempts against public service retirees in the last few months. The scammers are definitely doing their homework to make these emails look legitimate. The agent also told me that when ANY major legislation affecting WEP/GPO passes, SSA will send multiple official paper notices by mail before any changes take effect. They would never rely on email for something this significant. Stay vigilant everyone!