New Year’s Resolutions to Combat Scams
Reading Time: 2 MinutesLast Updated: December 28, 2023
Next year, resolve to protect yourself from scams that can damage your finances and reputation. Ring in 2024 with some smart resolutions to protect your personal information!
Stay informed of the latest scam trends
Fraudsters continue to change their tactics. Stay informed by:
- Following reliable news sources.
- Subscribing to scam alert newsletters.
- Staying connected with your local law enforcement agencies.
The more you know, the better prepared you’ll be to identify and avoid scams.
Think carefully before sharing personal information
Phishing is one of the main ways that scammers attempt to trick people into providing personal information. Pay close attention to emails or messages asking for your username, password, or other personal information.
Scammers pretend to be from familiar organizations to gain your trust. Stay alert when receiving unsolicited calls that claim to be from banks, government agencies, or other well-known companies.
When in doubt, contact the organization directly through official channels to verify that the request is real before sharing any personal information or making payment.
Use strong passwords
Create strong, unique passwords that use upper and lowercase letters, numbers, and special characters. Don’t use passwords that are easy to guess like birthdays or names.
Consider using a password manager to generate unique passwords and securely store them for each of your online accounts.
Be savvy with QR codes
QR codes are increasingly popular in restaurants, on parking meters, in emails, and on social media.
Scammers have noticed! They are physically placing fake QR codes on top of official ones or creating fake QR codes on social media advertisements to get access to your personal information.
Never scan random QR codes. If the QR code looks odd or altered, do not scan it.
Protect your social media profiles
Take a moment to review the privacy settings on your social media platforms and limit the amount of personal information you share publicly.
Fraudsters may use your social media posts to personalize scams or get access to your accounts without your permission. Regularly check your friends list and remove any unfamiliar or suspicious accounts.
As we welcome the new year, let’s make protecting ourselves against scams a top priority. We can significantly reduce the risk of being scammed by staying informed, being alert and careful, and safeguarding our accounts. We wish you a safe and secure year ahead!
Watch our video below to learn how to identify important red flags. Please share this information with those who may need it – and post it on social media.
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Tags: fraud, General Information, scams, social security, telephone scams
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channy b.
Hey nice post. Good work channybrideandbeyond
Norma
Thanks!
Jane Q.
Life or Death: a retired worker was cut from Medicare Part B without notice, told to contact SSA for reinstatement but has been unable to. His wife was on hold literally over 4 hours yesterday to no avail; the phone call ended when “work” hours for SSA ended. NO ONE ON THIS ENTIRE PLANET IS THAT BUSY!! Before one more dollar is wasted on the lazy good for nothings that won’t even answer a phone cut the deadweight in the office & replace them with people who’ll actually work for their governmental paychecks. Most of all: SSA, Medicare, etc. is not welfare for anyone too good to work, it’s a program Workers have paid into for decades. How dare anyone on the government teat treat a retired Worker this way!! Get rid of the deadweight!!
Joel H.
Very GOOD Jane. Will send it on to some email friends.
Sue
We’re sorry to hear about the experience, Jane. For security reasons, we do not have access to private information in this venue. We encourage the retired worker to call us at 1-800-772-1213, Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., or continue to work with his local Social Security office. He may ask to speak to a supervisor on his next call or visit. We hope this is resolved soon.
Ken W.
My wife just received her 1099-SSA in the mail. Why is it required that her full social security number is included on this statement? Every other 1099 that we receive has asterisks for all but the last 4 digits of any SSN. Is it possible to stop receiving the 1099-SSA by mail and simply use the online form?
Sue
Hi, Ken. Thanks for reading our blog and for your question. Your wife can only opt out of receiving mailed notices that are available in the Message Center of her personal my Social Security account. If you’d like to suggest that we abbreviate the Social Security Number (SSN) on the SSA-1099, visit our How can we help? webpage. From there, select the “Email Us” link. This will take you to the “Email Our Support Team” form where you can submit a suggestion, compliment, or complaint. We hope this helps.
Eileen H.
Quick question about a potential scam:
I was dealing with the FBU.Frankfurt (Germany) office back in 2020 about my application for US retirement benefits as a US citizen residing in Switzerland.
The dossier stalled (my fault, following a long-Covid), and just recently (kind of out-of-the-blue) I was contacted by phone from someone in the Argentina office, who is using the FBU.Frankfurt@ssa.gov email, and claims that their office in Argentina is helping out with the Frankfurt office.
But … I can’t help but hesitate. Is this legit ???
Can someone on your end confirm if Frankfurt FBU are using the services in Argentina for helping out??
I’ve had a hard time contacting the Frankfurt FBU … previous phone number is no longer working.
Please advise, many thanks for your time and attention.
A speedy reply would be extremely appreciated for obvious reasons.
Sue
Hi, Eileen. Thanks for reading our blog and for your question. Since you are living outside of the United States, you can contact your local Federal Benefits Unit for assistance related to Social Security benefits. Also, our Office of Earnings & International Operations webpage provides other helpful information for our customers living abroad. We hope this helps.
Tony
You would think the VA disability process is some kind of sport with all these unaccredited VA claim coaches. There is no penalty in this game and the veterans can receive 100% VA disability even if they are coached what to say and write.
Tony
The Texas Attorney General is going after VAclaiminsider for ripping off the veterans, but the VA OIG isn’t going after the company and veterans for disability fraud couching what to say and write.
These unaccredited VA claim coaches are costing taxpayers billions of dollars, but the VA will look the other way and let the fraud continue.
It would be easy for the Texas Attorney General to subpoena VAclaiminsider for the list of clients who used the services for the VA OIG to prosecute.
Nothing is done about it and it will be swept under the rug costing the VA and SSA billions of dollars in disability fraud. Those 100% VA disabled veterans have also apply for SSDI with the Social Security Administration with the fraudulent records.
The VA fraud is bigger than the SSA fraud with the NYPD and NYFD. The VA is going to act like nothing happened.
Tony
The biggest scammers are the veterans with the fake 100% P&T disability ratings. Even the VA allows the fake 100% P&T disability rating to work when the law 38 U.S.C. 1163 only allows for protection of TDIU rating at less than 100%. A 100% P&T rating is not protected and their rating should be reduced to below 100% if they are working.
Then there are thousands of veterans using disability couching services which tells them what to write down to get 100% P&T disability benefits. This is illegal as hell and the SSA knows it.
There are many illegal disability couching services and even the VA accredited attorneys are couching the veterans on what to write when they claim “How to get a 100% VA disability rating?” in their advertisement.
The worse ones advising couching services is the VAclaimsinsider. The Texas Attorney General is going after the company, but the VA is not going after the veterans who use the services.
There is a lot of couching for disability benefits even with the VSO.
The worst scammers are the veterans 100% P&T for PTSD who claim to be homebound and cannot leave their house and get special monthly compensation. The VA OIG doesn’t even check to see if these veterans are actually homebound. There are homebound blind veterans driving around with valid drivers licenses.
Accredited VA attorneys and agents are submitting identical claimants’ statements about their disability, but their is no statement from the veterans in their medical records.
Tony
It is so blatant that the VAclaiminsider is advertising to the veterans coaching in their online advertisement.
These veterans ripped-off the taxpayers, but the VAclaiminsider ripped them off for services to rip off the taxpayers.
These fraudulent veterans then rip off the Social Security Administration with the fake 100% P&T disability rating. The SSA CDI Unit should investigate this fraud since the VA allows veterans to commit fraud.
Hriodoy S.
Through this post I have learned a lot of good things which will be very useful again thanks for such a nice post
Harry D.
What are some trusted scam alert sites
Sue
Hi, Harry. Thanks for reading our blog and for your question. For more information on how to protect yourself from scams, visit our Frequently Asked Questions. You’ll find other resources at Scam Awareness Materials for Groups and Organizations. You may also want to visit the Federal Trade Commission’s online resources about how to spot and avoid scams. We hope this is helpful.
Dave K.
A list of, safe & legitimate, scam alert newsletters is missing.
One should have been included!
Gina C.
Can You make a printable version of up to date scams so I can give to our HUD residents?
Sue
Hi, Gina. Thanks for reading our blog and for your question. You’ll find resources you can share with your residents at Scam Awareness Materials for Groups and Organizations. You may also want to visit the Federal Trade Commission’s Consumer Education webpage for other resources on how to spot and avoid scams. We hope this is helpful.