Securing your Social Security Number
The following is by Peter King and was published in the November 25, 2006 edition of Long Island Newsday. Remember that Social Security knows who you are ( I don’t mean that to be ominous) and will never ask for your Social Security number!
“The government said the 49 million people receiving Social Security will get a 3.3 percent cost-of-living increase. It didn’t take long for crooks to try to get their cut.
The Social Security Administration has issued a warning: beware of e-mails that look as if they come from the agency and have the subject line “Cost-of-Living for 2007 update.” The body of the e-mail says, “NOTE: We now need you to update your personal information.” The e-mail says Social Security “will be forced to suspend your account indefinitely” if you don’t comply. If you click on the link in the e-mail, you will be taken to a Web site designed to look like the SSA’s home page. You will be asked to provide your Social Security number as well as bank account numbers and credit card account information.
This is “phishing,” an Internet scam in which con artists try to steal your identity, then your money. If you get this e-mail, report it to Social Security at 800-269-0271. To be safe, don’t even open it. Don’t open any e-mail purporting to be from Social Security. SSA corresponds with recipients only by regular mail and never sends out unsolicited e-mails.”
