Every year, Slam the Scam Day highlights Social Security scams that target anyone in receipt of Social Security benefits. The event occurred on March 5th, 2026, but the advice is still relevant: scammers will send emails throughout the year trying to trick recipients into sending money or personal details.
Knowing how to spot these scams and report them to the relevant authorities can protect you from theft and keep you more secure online.
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What Is Slam the Scam Day?
#SlamTheScam is an initiative by the Social Security Administration (SSA) to inform people of the dangers of Social Security scams. By having a whole day focused on the problem, the goal is to highlight how common these scams are and how to identify them quickly.
The SSA leaves the advice up on their website year-round, so if in doubt, Social Security recipients can refer to these scam-spotting tips.
What Is a Social Security Scam?
You might receive an email that seems to come from the SSA. It may say that you need to pay some money, or your Social Security number will be suspended. Another tactic is stating that you’re eligible for cost-of-living adjustments, and that you need to enter your personal details to ensure these go through correctly.
In most cases, these emails will be filled with urgency, threatening legal action or even arrest if you don’t “Act Now!” They may also include photos of official-looking SSA IDs to trick you into believing an SSA employee sent the email. Scammers hope that recipients will be frightened into making payments or divulging their personal information.
Spotting Social Security Scams
The official advice from the SSA is as follows:
- The SSA will never threaten to suspend your SSN
- The SSA will also never ask for your personal details for cost-of-living adjustments or other changes, as these occur automatically
- They will never send official identifications (such as photo IDs) by email, as this is illegal
- The SSA also never asks for money by email
Other red flags to look out for are:
- The email doesn’t come from an ssa.gov email address, and the links in the email don’t contain ssa.gov
- Poor spelling and grammar
- Asking for payments in gift cards, cryptocurrency, or even cash in the mail
You may also receive calls stating that the person is from the SSA. Hang up and contact the SSA through the usual channels, which you can find on their website.
The SSA also stresses that reporting scams helps them cut down on Social Security crime and understand how these types of scams are changing. You can find out how to report any scam at https://www.usa.gov/where-report-scams.
Stay Informed About Social Security Scams
Slam the Scam Day isn’t the only time you need to know about Social Security scams. Keep yourself up-to-date with scams targeting people like you or people you care about by signing up for Scam Detector’s Scam Alerts. The more you know, the easier it becomes to spot and avoid scams just like these.
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When my sweet old grandmother got caught up in an Amazon gift card scam, I decided then and there that I needed to do whatever I could to inform as many people as possible about the grifters of the world. That’s what I do here – writing about modern scams so you don’t get caught out.
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