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Recipients of Social Security benefits are at risk from scammers who attempt to redirect electronic payments to accounts they control. An estimated $28 million was stolen this way between October 2011 and June 2013.<\/p>\n
The thieves proceed by obtaining a recipient’s Social Security number and other personal information, sometimes by posing as a telemarketer or a representative of the Social Security Administration. With a Social Security number and bank account information, the scammer can contact Social Security or the bank pretending to be the recipient and redirect payments to another bank account. Some thieves have also hacked into online Social Security accounts and changed the bank account for direct deposits.<\/p>\n
The U.S. Senate Committee on Aging recently convened a panel of victims and advocates to address the problem and seek solutions. One woman testified that three months of Social Security electronic benefits were stolen from her and redirected to another bank account. (more…)<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Recipients of Social Security benefits are at risk from scammers who attempt to redirect electronic payments to accounts they control. An estimated $28 million was stolen this way between October 2011 and June 2013. The thieves proceed by obtaining a…<\/span><\/p>\n