The Social Security Administration’s inspector general is warning that scammers posing as the agency keep pointing to made-up problems with a Social Security online account or a direct deposit, and that some are now mailing forged letters on U.S. Supreme Court letterhead. In the watchdog’s latest quarterly scam update, those two pretexts showed up in nearly nine of every ten reports it tallied. People 70 and older again reported higher average losses than younger victims.
The warning comes from the Office of the Inspector General’s Issue 19 scam update, which covers Oct. 1, 2025 through March 31, 2026. It says the scammer pretended to be from Social Security or the inspector general’s office in 89 percent of the first quarter’s reports and 87 percent of the second’s.
The account and direct deposit script
The same percentages, 89 percent in the first quarter and 87 percent in the second, apply to scammers who mentioned a problem with a mySSA account or with direct deposit. The pitch is that something is wrong with the account or the deposit, and that the person must act on it.
The report also describes email versions. One scam, dated Nov. 12, 2025, arrived under the subject line “Alert: Social Security Account Issues Detected” with an attachment titled “SUSPENSION OF SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER DUE TO CRIMINAL ACTIVITIES.” A Feb. 19, 2026 alert covered fake emails offering access to a “Social Security Statement,” where clicking a link can lead to identity theft.
The first test for anyone who gets such a call or message comes from the agency itself. Social Security says it will never ask for sensitive or personal information through social media, email or text message, that scammers can spoof official government and police phone numbers so caller ID is not proof, and that the right move is to pause, hang up or ignore the message and avoid clicking links or opening attachments. Legitimate government sites end in .gov.
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Fake Supreme Court letters
The most unusual tactic is the paper one. The inspector general issued an alert on Oct. 8, 2025 about a letter labeled a “certificate” on fake U.S. Supreme Court letterhead, bearing forged signatures of Chief Justice John Roberts and Associate Justice Sonia Sotomayor. The letter presses the recipient to cooperate with a named Social Security official and to pay money or hand over personal information.
A Supreme Court letter has nothing to do with a benefit, an account or a deposit. The point of the forgery is to make an ordinary person believe the matter is legal and urgent, so that the reader calls the number printed on it or sends payment before checking with anyone.
The report notes that these alerts warn of high-pressure tactics, and that Social Security provides new and replacement Social Security cards for free.
Who is losing money
The report counts 1,062 people under 50 and 845 people aged 50 and older who reported losses in the six months, and it says those 70 and older again reported higher average losses than younger people. The average-loss figures appear only in a chart, and the report states no total dollar loss.
Losses are not confined to one age group, but the pattern for people 70 and older is the one the inspector general singles out.
What a real alert looks like
Real account activity is handled inside the account itself. The agency says that if anyone tries to change an address or direct deposit without permission, the holder of an online Social Security account at ssa.gov/myaccount gets an alert right away. A caller who announces a problem with that account is following the script the inspector general describes.
Reporting goes to the watchdog directly. The inspector general takes scam reports through its online reporting page, and the agency lists the Federal Trade Commission at (877) 382-4357 for scam reports as well. If money was taken, Social Security says to report it to local police.
The inspector general frames its advice with the slogan “Think Scam First,” which appears in the titles of its alerts. The idea is to assume a surprise message about an account, a deposit or a legal certificate is false until the agency itself confirms it through a channel the person looks up independently, such as the official accounts Social Security lists at ssa.gov/socialmedia.
If someone already responded
For a person who gave out a code, a Social Security number or payment details, the first protective step is a credit freeze. USA.gov says a consumer can freeze or lift a freeze on a credit report for free by contacting each of the three agencies, Equifax, Experian and TransUnion, online, by phone or by mail.
A freeze keeps creditors from accessing the report, which stops new accounts from being approved in the person’s name. The page says online and phone requests take effect within one business day and mail within three, and a freeze can be lifted within one hour online or by phone when new credit is needed.
A freeze does not undo a payment already sent or change a password already handed over. Those need separate steps with the bank, the card issuer and the agency, and speed counts for each of them.
Responded to a Social Security call or letter?
Scammers using an account problem or a Supreme Court letter want a fast answer, and the first hour after one is given is when a bank can still act on a payment or a changed login. A day of delay can turn a recoverable mistake into a permanent loss.
The Senior Fraud Defense & First-Hour Recovery Kit gives the first-hour recovery plan and a fraud evidence and report log for keeping track of who was told what. Part 3 explains what each report does, so the call to the bank, the credit bureaus and the inspector general happen in an order that helps.
More Financial Reading
- 21 Ways to Stretch a $2,087 Social Security Check
- 15 Places to Find Your Share of the $4.25 Billion States Give Back
- The New $6,000 Senior Deduction and 14 More Tax Moves for Retirees
This article was produced with AI assistance and edited for accuracy against the sources linked above.
