The SSN Update Ruse

Flggd Scam School · Identity, Credit & Benefits Fraud · Lesson 2 of 12

A social security records update email landed in your inbox, complete with a seal and a case number. Here's why it almost certainly didn't come from the government.

The message looks like this

Why this is a scam

The Social Security Administration communicates about your record by letter, or through the my Social Security account you create yourself at ssa.gov. It does not email strangers asking them to type in their SSN.

Think about what's being asked. The government issued your number; it does not need you to remind them what it is. Anyone asking you to "confirm" an SSN is collecting it.

The threat is soft but effective: future payments "may be affected". That worry is the product being sold.

Red flags checklist

• An email wants your full SSN typed into a form.

• The sender's address is not ssa.gov.

• A 72-hour deadline on a "records" matter.

• Vague consequences about benefits being affected.

• A case number and seal used to look official.

The manipulation tactic

Borrowed authority. Government formatting, reference numbers, and official seals switch off our skepticism before we read a word.

What to do, and what not to do

• Don't click, reply, or confirm anything.

• Check your real record at ssa.gov by typing the address yourself.

• Never type your SSN into a form that arrived by email.

• Report the email to the SSA's Office of Inspector General at oig.ssa.gov, then delete it.

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