Does Social Security really call beneficiaries about payment issues or is this a scam?

This is 100% a scam. The Social Security Administration will NEVER call you to ask for your banking information. They communicate primarily through mail, and if there's an issue with your payment, you'll receive an official letter explaining the problem and what steps to take. If you ever receive communication that seems to be from SSA, and you're unsure, don't provide any information. Instead, call SSA directly using the number on their official website (not a number provided by the caller).

they tried this on my mom last month!!! same exact story about "payment problem" and needing bank info. these scammers are EVERYWHERE lately. they prey on ppl who depend on ss benefits cuz they know were scared of losing our money. my moms on ssi and almost fell for it.

I had something similar happen but it was about my Medicare not Social Security. Guy called saying my Medicare was going to be canceled unless I verified my information. Hung up on him. These scammers are getting more sophisticated with their tactics. They know exactly what to say to scare seniors.

You're right to be suspicious. The SSA primarily communicates through mail, not phone calls. If there was a legitimate issue with your payment, they would send you a letter with instructions to contact them through official channels. I recommend reporting this scam attempt to the Office of the Inspector General at https://oig.ssa.gov/report or by calling 1-800-269-0271. Also, monitor your bank accounts closely for any suspicious activity. Your May payment should arrive as scheduled, as this call had nothing to do with the actual SSA.

@profile5 my moms benefits were fine! the scammers didnt get any of her info. that was the whole point of their call - to GET her info, not because anything was actually wrong with her payment

I work for a financial advisor who specializes in retirement planning, and we've had several clients report similar scam attempts in the past few months. The Social Security Administration follows very specific protocols for communication. For payment issues specifically, they will send written notices. If you ever need to verify if a communication is legitimate, the best approach is to call the official SSA number (1-800-772-1213) directly. But be prepared - wait times can be extremely long. I had a client who tried calling for three days before getting through.

I've had success using Claimyr to get through to Social Security when I needed to verify something about my benefits. I was worried about a potential scam too last year and needed to talk to a real SSA agent. Instead of waiting on hold for hours, I used their service at claimyr.com and got a callback from Social Security within about 15 minutes. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU - it saved me so much stress when I was worried about my benefits. Might be worth checking out if you want to verify everything is actually okay with your account.

Just to add some additional information about these scams - they've become increasingly sophisticated. The scammers now use spoofing technology to make their calls appear to come from legitimate SSA phone numbers, including the 1-800 number or numbers with Washington DC area codes. They may also have some of your personal information already (obtained from data breaches) to sound more convincing. Some red flags that indicate a scam: 1. Threats about suspending your SSN or benefits 2. Demands for immediate payment via gift cards, wire transfers, or cryptocurrency 3. Requests for personal banking information over the phone 4. Offers to increase your benefits for a fee 5. Requests for you to send documents through email or text Remember that legitimate SSA employees will NEVER threaten you for information or promise benefit increases in exchange for payment.

my uncle got scammed outta $3000 by these people last year. be careful out there folks!!!!

One important thing to note - if you do need to contact Social Security to verify everything is okay with your account (which isn't a bad idea for peace of mind), make sure to call THEM directly using the official number from ssa.gov. Don't call back any number that was provided to you in the suspicious call, as that could just connect you with the scammers again who might try to convince you they're legitimate SSA employees.

Checking your MySocialSecurity account was a smart move! That's a great way to verify if there are any legitimate issues with your benefits. Since everything looks normal there, you can be confident your May payment will arrive as scheduled. The online account is also a good way to avoid these phone scams entirely - most legitimate business SSA needs to conduct with you will generate a message in your online account if you've set one up.