How To Tell If A Social Security Text Is Real Or A Scam

The digital age has brought with it a seemingly endless stream of legitimately game-changing technologies. It has also opened up new avenues for scammers to take advantage of those who may not be savvy enough to spot a scam or cyberattack when they see one. While there are several different types of cyberattacks for folks to be wary of these days, the goal of each is essentially the same: to acquire personally identifiable information (often shortened to PII) and use it to gain access to otherwise private financial accounts and essentially loot them.

As you might expect, older citizens tend to be targeted more than others, as their knowledge of technology and associated scams is often limited. They also tend to be more protective of Social Security accounts, as many are reliant on them as their sole source of income. Not surprisingly, scammers have taken to targeting Social Security accounts, with many doing so by way of phishing text messages. There are, of course, ways to tell if the text message you've received about Social Security is authentic or not, with the U.S. Social Security Administration assembling some of the tell-tale signs on its official website.

Among the signs that your Social Security text is a scam is anything resembling a threat, as the SSA says it will never dangle penalties or the suspension of an account through that medium. It will also never demand payment of any kind via text, nor promise benefit increases in exchange for personal information that way.

Per the Social Security Administration's official site, the only way you might receive a request for payment from the office is through documents delivered through the U.S. mail. The site also notes that there may be occasions in which you'd receive a text message about your Social Security account, but that will only happen if you specifically sign up for text message notifications through the office. Even then, it would likely only be about potential issues with your personal My Social Security account.

If you do receive a text message containing a threat or a request for either payment or personal account details, there are measures you can take to protect yourself. First and foremost, if the text seems suspicious, do not respond to the message. You should also not provide any personal or account information to the sender. Instead, you can simply delete the text message from your phone altogether and move on with your life. If you want to take an extra step, the SSA encourages you to report the text message to the SSA's Office of the Inspector General, providing as much information as you can about the scam or scammer.

The SSA even provides a direct link to the OIG on its site to make things easier. If you believe your Social Security information has been compromised, contact the SSA immediately and alert them to the issue. If other personal accounts have been hacked, taking other measures like changing passwords can also help re-secure your information.