Resolve to Protect Yourself From Scams This Year
Reading Time: 2 MinutesLast Updated: February 13, 2025
In 2025, let’s make protecting ourselves against scams a top priority. In this article, we are sharing best practices and resources to help you protect your personal information!
Safeguard your social media profiles
Take some time 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.
Be savvy with QR codes
Quick Response codes, better known as QR codes, are becoming increasingly popular. The scannable codes are commonly used to share links to websites, view restaurant menus, pay for public parking and make other mobile payments, and retrieve digital tickets and boarding passes.
Scammers have noticed the increase in the use of QR codes! They are placing fake QR codes on top of legitimate codes or creating fake QR codes on social media ads to get access to your personal information. If a QR code looks odd or altered, do not scan it.
Use strong passwords and passkeys
Create strong, unique passwords that use numbers, upper and lowercase letters, and special characters. Avoid passwords that are easy to guess like birthdays and names.
Consider using a password manager to generate unique passwords and securely store them for each of your online accounts.
Try using passkeys when they’re available. Passkeys – including face scans or fingerprints – allow you to sign in to websites and accounts without a username or password. They are more secure than passwords, faster to use, and resistant to phishing attacks over the phone, email, and social media.
Think 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 details about yourself.
Scammers pretend to be from familiar organizations to gain your trust. Be wary of unsolicited calls or emails that claim to be from government agencies, financial institutions, or other trusted 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 a payment.
Stay informed of the latest scam trends
Fraudsters continue to change their tactics. Stay informed by:
- Following reliable news sources.
- Subscribing to scam alert resources, such as Federal Trade Commission Consumer Alerts.
- Paying attention to scam and fraud warnings from local law enforcement agencies.
The more you know, the better prepared you’ll be to identify and avoid scams. Learn more about protecting yourself and your loved ones on our Protect Yourself from Scams webpage.
We also encourage you to join us for national “Slam the Scam” Day on Thursday, March 6. This annual collaborative event is organized by our Office of the Inspector General to raise awareness about scams. It’s part of National Consumer Protection Week, which takes place March 2-8. Visit our Protect Yourself from Social Security Scams – Resources webpage to check out our social media toolkits and printable scam-related resources.
Please help us spread the word by sharing with family, friends, and other who may need it.
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Tags: fraud, Office of the Inspector General, scams
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Diane
I was scammed yesterday afternoon…I was reading something on my phone, then all of a sudden this flashing talking message said” This is Social Security and you have two checks left to draw…this month and next month…
Amy
Scam
Joanna L.
I would like to report fraudulent acts being committed by several Social Security employees.
Please call me at 561-523-5795. Each time I think I found somebody to report it to, there are staff changes. Please contact me asap.
Thank you.
Susan G.
I would like to report a phone call received for my husband….the tele # was 845 390 5576.
The man on the other end of the phone was Michael Williams. (or so he said)
S.S.
Hello, Susan. Thanks for reading our blog. We take allegations of fraud very seriously. If you suspect identity theft, report it to the Federal Trade Commission or call 1-877-IDTHEFT (1-877-438-4338). To learn more about how to prevent or resolve issues of identity theft, read our publication Identity Theft and Your Social Security Number. We hope this information helps.
Nitram
Getting Phishing emails allegedly from SSA.gov. I want to report them, but SSA does NOT provide a place to report the phishing email. They want me to type it out word for word, and then they want me to provide ALL of my personal information so they can investigate.
Why can’t SSA.gov just provide an email address to forward the phishing reports to?
Why do you have to complicate everything?