Scam of the Week: August 15, 2016

There are two Social Security scams you need to watch out for at the moment.

The first one is where you receive an official-looking email from the Social Security Administration with an invite to create an account so you can receive your benefits. You land on a webpage where the scammers hope you will fill out all your confidential information. Don’t fall for it. Never click on links in any of these emails. If you want to sign up for a My Social Security Account go directly to https://ssa.gov/myaccount/

The second scam is where the bad guys actually create an account for someone, and redirect the payments to a bank account controlled by them, not the victim. To prevent this from happening, create your own MySSA account with a strong username and password. This is similar to filing your tax return early before the bad guys file a bogus return and steal your refund.

Another security measure I recommend is that when you create your MySSA account, go to the settings and choose the option that any changes to the bank account into which your check is electronically deposited only be done physically at a Social Security branch office and not using your online account.

Think before you click!
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