As many seniors rely on Social Security as a vital source for their retirement income, many can become uncertain and scared during a crisis. A lot of people are left uncertain and scared for a number of reasons as COVID-19 has greatly impacted people’s abilities to make the normal amount of income to pay their rent or other bills. People around the nation, and even the world, are left thinking, “What happens next?”
Recently, the Social Security Administration (SSA) announced that they would be closing their offices to protect seniors and their own employees. Of course, with their offices being closed, this leaves seniors to believe that their Social Security will be impacted. Good news; it won’t be. The SSA confirmed that closing their offices will not result in an interruption to the benefits they are receiving.
Expect your Social Security benefits to remain the same as before
As a result of this, seniors who are used to collecting these benefits can still expect to see that money in their bank accounts. There is something important to be on the lookout for, though. Since this crisis began, scammers are using the situation to take advantage of seniors. They’re trying to instill fear in seniors and rob them, so it’s a good thing to be on the lookout for any sign that this is happening. SSA recipients are being asked to provide personal information like Social Security number, bank account details, and more.
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Similar to the IRS, the SSA will never call you at random asking for personal information. Should you get a phone call from someone claiming to be affiliated with the SSA asking for personal information, just hang up or report it here.
What you should be on the lookout for right now
Here’s a list of other things that the SSA would never do… so if they randomly call you doing any of these, report it!
- Threaten to arrest you for Social Security fraud unless you pay a fee
- Promise an increase in your monthly benefits
- Ask you to send in money via wire transfer or prepaid debit cards
- Ask you to send any type of gift card in the mail or via email
The same goes for if you get a letter in the mail, a text message, or email. Anything that asks for personal information or for you to send money is a scam. Stay aware during these crazy times!
