How To Spot A Social Security Payment Scam
Do’s
- Do hang up if someone calls you out of the blue and claims to be from SSA.
- Do be skeptical if a caller claims to be from Social Security’s Office of the Inspector General. Scammers appropriate official-sounding and often actual government titles to make a ruse seem authentic.
- Do set up a My Social Security account online and check it on a monthly basis for signs of anything unusual, even if you have not yet started collecting benefits.
- Do install a robocall-blocking app on your smartphone, or sign up for a robocall-blocking service from your mobile network provider.
Don’ts
- Dont call a phone number left on your voice mail by a robocaller or listed in a suspicious email or text. If you want to contact SSA, call the customer-service line at 800-772-1213.
- Dont assume a call is legitimate because it appears to come from 800-772-1213. Scammers use spoofing technology to trick caller ID.
- Dont give your Social Security number or other personal information to someone who contacts you by email. SSA never requests information that way.
- Dont click links in purported SSA emails without checking them. Mouse over the link to reveal the actual destination address. The main part of the address should end with .gov/ including the forward slash. If theres anything between .gov and the slash, its fake.
Social Security Disability Determination Services
- Social Security Disability Insurance
- Supplemental Security Income
- Call or visit any Social Security office to schedule an appointment. You can locate the SSA field office closest to you via this link,
- Contact SSA toll-free at 1-800-772-1213 .
Peru Man Sentenced For False Statements To The Social Security Administration
DES MOINES, IA Troy John Pitzen, age 58, of Peru, Iowa, was sentenced May 26, 2022, to 24 months in prison following his guilty plea to making false statements to the Social Security Administration . Pitzens term of imprisonment will be followed by three years of supervised release.
Between 2006 and 2017, Pitzen stole approximately $371,356 in Social Security survivors benefits belonging to his three minor children. Those benefits were paid to Pitzen, as the childrens representative payee, following the death of the childrens mother. During that time, Pitzen repeatedly submitted paperwork to the SSA falsely claiming the children were living with him and he was using the childrens survivors benefits to care for the children. In fact, the children were living with and being cared for by other individuals while Pitzen continued to receive the childrens benefits and converted most of those benefits to his own use.
United States Attorney Richard D. Westphal of the Southern District of Iowa made the announcement. This matter was investigated by the Social Security Administration Office of Inspector General and the case was prosecuted by the United States Attorneys Office for the Southern District of Iowa.
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Getting A Social Security Number For A New Baby
The easiest way to get a Social Security number for your child is at the hospital after they are born when you apply for your childs birth certificate. If you wait to apply for a number at a Social Security office, there may be delays while SSA verifies your childs birth certificate.
Your child will need their own Social Security number so you can:
- Claim your child as a dependent on your income tax return
- Open a bank account in their name
- Get medical coverage for them
- Apply for government services for them
Earn Ssa Work Credits In Some Countries
You may not have enough credits from your work in the United States to qualify for retirement benefits. But, you may be able to count your work credits from another country. The SSA has agreements with 24 countries. If you earned credits in one of those countries, they can help you qualify for U.S. benefits.
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Is There An Inspector General For Social Security
In direct charge of meeting the statutory mission of promoting economic growth, efficiency, and effectiveness within programs and operations of the Social Security Administration and preventing, detecting and reporting fraud, waste, abuse, and mismanagement, the Office of the Inspector General works together with the .
Lost Or Stolen Federal Payments
Report your lost, missing, or stolen federal check to the agency that issued the payment. It’s usually one of these paying agencies. If your documentation indicates it’s a different agency, and you need its contact information, look in the A-Z Index of U.S. Government Departments and Agencies.
To get an update on your claim, contact the Treasury Department Philadelphia Financial Center at 1-855-868-0151, option 1.
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Social Security Fraud Misuse Or Impersonation
| The Social Security Administration investigates reports like these: |
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Does Social Security Do Investigations
The social security administration can notify you if you are under investigation. You can face a social security audit after claiming disability benefits for no apparent reason. The Social Security Administration does investigate people, but not every employee. SSA is therefore likely to have an eye on you, therefore you should be cautious about giving them access to your Social Security Number.
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Report The Death Of A Social Security Or Medicare Beneficiary
You must report the death of a family member receiving Social Security or Medicare benefits. The Social Security Administration processes death reports for both. Find out how you can report a death and how to cancel benefit payments. In addition to canceling SSA and Medicare benefits, find out what other benefits and accounts you should cancel.
What Is A Social Security Card
Your Social Security card is an important piece of identification. You’ll need one to get a job, collect Social Security, or receive other government benefits.
When you apply for a Social Security number , the Social Security Administration will assign you a nine-digit number. This is the same number that is printed on the Social Security card that SSA will issue you. If you change your name, you will need to get a corrected card.
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Understanding The Social Security Administration
The SSA administers the Social Security program. Social Security is a vital part of the retirement income planning strategy of many Americans, particularly as savings rates remain low5.4% as of May 2022.
More than 65 million Americans, including retired workers, disabled workers, and survivors, received Social Security benefits in June 2022, according to the SSA. Social Security is one of the largest government programs in the world.
The benefits are funded with payroll taxes paid by employers, employees, and the self-employed. The tax revenue goes into two Social Security trust fundsthe Old-Age and Survivors Insurance Trust Fund for retirees and the Disability Insurance Trust Fund for disability beneficiarieswhich also make the benefit payments.
The SSA also administers payments to 7.6 million Supplemental Security Income recipients. SSI, which is distinct from Social Security and is not funded by payroll taxes, aids the disabled, blind, and elderly with limited income and resources.
Unlike most U.S. government agencies, the SSA is headquartered in Baltimore, Maryland, rather than Washington, D.C. The SSA has 10 regional offices, six processing centers, and approximately 1,230 field offices in cities across the country. It employs almost 60,000 workers.
Nearly all local Social Security offices have reopened after closings caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The SSA maintains an online list of office closings and emergencies.
Strategic Goals & Objectives
Agencies establish a variety of organizational goals to drive progress toward key outcomes for the American people. Long-term strategic goals articulate clear statements of what the agency wants to achieve to advance its mission and address relevant national problems, needs, challenges and opportunities. Strategic objectives define the outcome or management impact the agency is trying to achieve, and also include the agency’s role. Each strategic objective is tracked through a suite of performance goals, indicators and other evidence..
In developing our Agency Strategic Plan, which includes our Priority Goals, we consulted with employees, stakeholders, advisory groups, and Congress. We also conducted an environmental scan to identify current and emerging trends that will directly or indirectly affect our mission, workloads, and business processes. Socioeconomic and demographic changes, along with advancements in technology, have implications for the future of our programs, workforce, and service delivery. We believe our plan provides a framework for our efforts and for thoughtful public discussion of our role and priorities.
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How To Get A Social Security Card
Priority Open Recommendations: Social Security Administration
GAO-22-105623
Each year, we make more than 1,000 recommendations to help improve the federal government. We alert department heads to where they can save the most money, address issues on our High Risk List, or significantly improve government operations.
This report outlines our 6 priority open recommendations for the Social Security Administration as of May 2022. For example, we recommended improving oversight of the “representative payees” who help vulnerable beneficiariessuch as people in nursing homesmanage their Social Security benefits.
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Social Security Administration: Annual Report
Every year, the board of trustees of Social Security issues a report on the current and projected financial status of the SSA’s programs. In the 2022 report, the Social Security Board of Trustees projected that the reserves of the Old-Age and Survivors Insurance Trust Fund will be depleted in 2034 , amid the swing to annual funding shortfalls as a result of Baby Boomer retirements. At that time, payroll tax receipts will be sufficient to pay 77% of scheduled benefits.
Meanwhile, the Disability Insurance Trust Fund is now expected to maintain a surplus over the next 75 years, after the 2021 report predicted its reserves would run out in 2057. In 2022, the trustees cited a persistent decline in the volume of disability claims.
History Of The Social Security Administration
The Social Security Board was created in 1935 when President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the Social Security Act into law. The SSA has since gone through numerous name changes and operational revisions under different presidential administrations. The SSA was part of the Department of Health and Human Services until 1994, when it regained its original status as an independent agency.
In July 2021, President Biden fired SSA commissioner Andrew Saul and appointed Kilolo Kijakazi, deputy commissioner for retirement and disability policy at the SSA, as acting commissioner. Saul was criticized for efforts to reduce access to disability benefits, delays in providing the information needed to issue stimulus payments, and clashing with employee unions over COVID-19 safety protocols, including remote work.
While the SSA is an independent agency and Saul’s term was not due to expire until January 2025, two Supreme Court rulings have given presidents greater authority to remove appointees. One, in June 2020, determined that President Trump was free to fire the head of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau , and a second, in June 2021, authorized President Biden to remove the chief of the Federal Housing Administration .
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Why Gao Did This Study
Priority open recommendations are the GAO recommendations that warrant priority attention from heads of key departments or agencies because their implementation could save large amounts of money improve congressional and/or executive branch decision-making on major issues eliminate mismanagement, fraud, and abuse or ensure that programs comply with laws and funds are legally spent, among other benefits. Since 2015 GAO has sent letters to selected agencies to highlight the importance of implementing such recommendations.
For more information, contact Cindy Brown Barnes 512-7215 or .
State Social Security Administrator
The State Social Security Administrator is the designated official legally appointed to act for the state in negotiations with the Social Security Administration. This official acts for the state with respect to the initial Section 218 Agreement and modifications, the performance of the states responsibilities under the Agreement, and in all state dealings concerning the administration of the Agreement. Each states Section 218 Agreement , and Social Security Regulation 404.1204, provide a legal obligation for each state to designate such an official. In many states the actual day-to-day responsibilities are delegated to the staff of the designated state official. The Colorado State Social Security Administrator is Dean Conder. You may contact him by email at or call 318-8060.
Contact the State Social Security Administrator with questions regarding the following:
- Existence or terms of a Section 218 Agreement
- Modifications to the Section 218 Agreement
- Treatment of a specific position under a Section 218 Agreement
- Other issues involving interpretation of state law
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Us Internal Revenue Service Irs
The Internal Revenue Service is responsible for administering the Internal Revenue Code , advising employers of their responsibilities, collecting taxes, and working with SSA and State Social Security Administrators on social security coverage and related tax issues. See Chapter 8, Internal Revenue Service.
Contact the U.S. Internal Revenue Service with questions regarding the following:
- Federal income tax
- Worker classification for employees not covered by a Section 218 Agreement
- Collection of social security or Medicare tax
- Completion and filing of Form W-2 and W-3
- Employment tax returns
- Definition of public retirement system
- Is an employee covered under mandatory social security?
- Are certain payments subject to social security or Medicare tax?
- Do I need a new employer identification number?
How To Stop Social Security Check Payments
The SSA can not pay benefits for the month of a recipients death. That means if the person died in July, the check received in August must be returned. Find out how to return a check to the SSA.
If the payment is by direct deposit, notify the financial institution as soon as possible so it can return any payments received after death. For more about the requirement to return benefits for the month of a beneficiarys death, see the top of page 11 of this SSA publication.
Family members may be eligible for Social Security survivors benefits when a person getting benefits dies. Visit the SSA’s Survivors Benefits page to learn more.
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Social Security Administration Services
In addition to overseeing retirement and disability benefits programs and administering SSI, the SSA provides a wide range of services, including enrollment in parts A and B of the Medicare program.
It also issues the Social Security numbers required to access numerous government and private-sector services, from credit financing and insurance coverage to hunting licenses.
State Social Security Administration
The State Social Security Administrator can:
- aid local governments in securing Section 218 coverage for their employees
- assist in ensuring local governments are correctly withholding and reporting Social Security and Medicare taxes
- serve as a liaison with the federal Social Security Administration and the Internal Revenue Service to address state and local government coverage-related issues and questions and
- provide education and outreach to state and local government employers and employees.
When the Social Security Act was enacted in 1935, Social Security coverage was limited to private sector employees. States, their political subdivisions, and interstate instrumentalities were not originally included in this legislation. However, with the Social Security Amendments of 1950, Congress created Section 218 of the Act. Effective January 1, 1951, Social Security coverage became available to state and local government employees through a unique Federal-State Agreement authorized by Section 218.
An individual should contact the SSSA only for questions regarding the Section 218 status of their state or local government employer or if they have questions about whether their employer should or should not be withholding Social Security taxes. Most other Social Security questions should be directed to the federal SSA.
Social Security
Medicare
Firefighters
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Old Age Survivors And Disability
SSA administers the retirement, survivors, and disabled social insurance programs, which can provide monthly benefits to aged or disabled workers, their spouses and children, and to the survivors of insured workers. In 2010, more than 54 million Americans received approximately $712 billion in Social Security benefits. The programs are primarily financed by taxes which employers, employees, and the self-insured pay annually. These revenues are placed into a special trust fund. These programs are collectively known as Retirement, Survivors, Disability Insurance .
SSA administers its disability program partly through its Office of Disability Adjudication and Review , which has regional offices and hearing offices across the United States. ODAR publishes a manual, called HALLEX, which contains instructions for its employees regarding how to implement its guiding principles and procedures.
The RSDI program is the primary benefits program administered by the U.S. federal government, and for some beneficiaries is the vital source of income. Increasing access to this benefit program for low-income or homeless individuals is one of SSA’s goals. SSA is a member of the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness and works with other municipal, county, state, local and federal partners to increase access and approval for SSI/SSDI benefits who are eligible.