Scam Alert: What to Watch for to Spot a Potential Identity Theft Scam

Social Security scammers are savvy. They’re constantly changing tactics to try to trick you into giving up personal information. The Big Rapids Pioneer, in Michigan, says there are a few things you should look out for to ensure you don’t fall victim.

Don’t become phish bait. Scammers will pretend to be from familiar organizations, businesses, and even government entities. Be wary of requests to provide usernames, passwords or other personal information. When in doubt, contact the sender directly through official channels to confirm the request is legitimate.

Use strong passwords. Create unique passwords that include both lower and upper-case letters, numbers and special characters. Because remembering all these passwords can be a challenge, you may want to use a password manager to securely store passwords for each of your accounts.

Use caution with QR codes. Scammers have started placing fake QR codes on top of official ones to get access to your personal information. Before you scan a QR code at a restaurant or business, inspect to see if a sticker has been placed over the top or if it has been altered in any way.

The Seniors Trust is committed to helping protect Social Security and that includes providing important information to seniors on how to prevent Social Security scams. We also want to see Congress pass The Social Security Expansion Act. It will give retirees an immediate benefits increase of about $200 a month, a fair annual cost-of-living adjustment (COLA), increased minimum benefits, and will ensure the long-term solvency of the Social Security program.