Social Security scam 2025: How retirees can protect their benefits

Scammers are targeting senior citizens and their Social Security funds with online phishing scams that often come in the form of emails or texts, using language that is meant to incite panic.

In a phishing message given to Fox News, retirees may receive a notification reading something like this:

“We are conducting an ongoing inquiry into your Social Security Number and identity due to suspected links to drug trafficking. A series of international wire transfers to accounts on the Federal Trade Commission’s restricted list has been flagged. There have been reports of suspicious activities associated with your Social Security Number in Texas and New Mexico. We would like to inform you that this document contains sensitive information and should be managed carefully. The document presented here is an official communication from the Social Security Administration, authorized by the Texas Attorney General. The Texas Court has directed the suspension of your Social Security Number due to its association with money laundering activities involving your bank accounts.”

Now, of course, this is fake. But it does make your chest constrict a bit when you read it, right?

Here are a few ways to make sure you and your loved ones don’t get caught up in a scam, per Fox News:

1. Always double check the email address or phone number the message is sent from. Be sure that point of contact is coming from the correct phone number, correct email, etc. Spelling may be off by a letter or punctuation mark, and phone numbers may be a digit off. Furthermore, according to Fox News, “Legitimate government communications almost always use your full legal name and reference specific case numbers or account details.” Not vague threats.
2. Don’t click on links until you are sure that the communication is legitimate. By clicking on a link, you could invite malicious software onto your computer, making it easier for scammers to steal money and other information.
3. Real-deal government communications won’t hurry you into sudden, immediate action — they especially won’t ask for gift cards.
4. Consider creating specific email accounts for specific uses. That way, if one email account is for shopping and it gets compromised, the email you use for your Social Security transactions won’t be impacted.
5. Password strength is nothing to scoff at these days — make sure your accounts are tightly locked up with sophisticated passwords. Every account you make should have a different password, as well; otherwise, scammers will be able to get into every account that uses the same password as the one that is compromised.