08/21/2026
In 2025, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) received over 330,000 complaints of government imposter scams, an increase of 25% from 2024. The Social Security Administration is one of the most impersonated agencies by scammers, which directly targets senior citizens.
This Senior Citizens Day, we are sharing a few ways you can recognize the basic signs of a scam, giving you the power to ignore criminals and report the scam.
Scammers often:
➡️ Pretend to be from an agency or organization you know to gain trust.
➡️ Say there is a problem or that you’ve won a prize.
➡️ Pressure you to act immediately.
➡️ Tell you to pay in a specific way, such as with gift cards, wire transfers, or cryptocurrency.
If you or someone you know has been a victim of a scam:
⭐ Hang up on suspicious calls from “government officials” claiming there is a problem with your Social Security number or account.
⭐ Never make payments with gift cards, wire transfers, or by mailing cash.
⭐ Report Social Security-related scams to OIG.SSA.GOV.
⭐ Report other scams to reportfraud.ftc.gov.