Social Security calling to move up survivor benefits application - is this legit or scam?

This sounds suspicious to me! Social Security NEVER calls to move appointments earlier in my experience. They're usually booked out for months and running behind. When they called, did they ask for your SSN or any personal info in the voicemail? That would be a red flag. I would NOT call any number they left - instead call the official SSA number (1-800-772-1213) and verify if this is legitimate. Scammers are getting really sophisticated these days.

I work as a benefits counselor, and while not common, this can actually happen legitimately. Sometimes when there are cancellations or they have extra staff available, SSA will try to move appointments up. However, you should absolutely verify this is legitimate before proceeding. Call the main SSA number (1-800-772-1213) and ask if your appointment was rescheduled. For survivor benefits, you'll need your husband's death certificate, marriage certificate, both your SSNs, his most recent W-2 or tax return, and your direct deposit information. If you're not prepared today, you can always keep your original appointment.

the same EXACT thing happened to my sister last month!!! they called to move her appointment up for disability not survivors but same idea. she thought it was fake too but it was actually real. social security is so weird with how they do things sometimes lol

I don't trust ANY calls claiming to be from SSA. Too many scams these days. Even if they're not asking for info in the voicemail, they might when they call back. Just keep your original appointment and go in prepared.

Based on my experience working with survivor benefit claimants, this is actually becoming more common. The SSA has been trying to reduce their backlog of survivor claims since they're prioritized over retirement applications. A few things to know: 1) For verification: When they call back, ask them to tell YOU information (like your appointment date/time) rather than you providing information 2) For survivor benefits, you'll need: - Your husband's death certificate - Marriage certificate - Both SSNs - Your bank information for direct deposit - Potentially his last W-2 or tax return - Your birth certificate If they're legitimate and you're not ready, they should be willing to keep your original appointment. The fact that they left a message saying they'd call back rather than demanding an immediate callback is actually a good sign that this might be legitimate.

WHATEVER YOU DO DON'T GIVE THEM YOUR SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER!!! My uncle got a call just like this and ended up with his identity stolen!!! These scammers are EVERYWHERE!!!

UPDATE: I ended up keeping my original November 18th appointment, but I did verify the call was actually from SSA by calling their main number. Apparently they're trying to process survivor benefits faster and had a cancellation. Thanks everyone for the quick advice - it really helped me figure out what to do while at work without all my documents!