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Report Fraud to the Hotline


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Image: Question Mark Icon How Do I Contact the Fraud Hotline?

Internet: Fraud Reporting Form
U.S. Mail: Social Security Fraud Hotline
P.O. Box 17768
Baltimore, Maryland 21235
FAX: 410-597-0118
Telephone: 1-800-269-0271 from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time
TTY: 1-866-501-2101 for the deaf or hard of hearing.
 

Image: Question Mark Icon What is the Fraud Hotline?

The Social Security Administration (SSA) Office of the Inspector General (OIG) Fraud Hotline provides an avenue for individuals to report fraud, waste, and abuse within the SSA’s programs and operations. We handle allegations regarding violations of law or regulations affecting SSA programs and operations.
 

Image: Question Mark Icon What Should I Report to the Fraud Hotline?

A variety of situations may be considered fraud in the SSA programs. Some examples are:

  • Conceals work activity while receiving disability benefits
  • Receives Social Security Benefits for a child not under their care
  • Fails to notify SSA of the death of a beneficiary and continues to receive and cash the checks of the deceased
  • Conceals their marriage or assets from the Social Security Administration while receiving Supplemental Security Income payments
  • Resides overseas and is receiving Supplemental Security Income Payments

Below are several examples of potential violations that affect Social Security programs or operations. You can click on each topic below to learn more.

Image: Question Mark Icon What Should I not Report to the Fraud Hotline?


Questions about Social Security Benefits

The Fraud Hotline cannot assist individuals with questions about their Social Security account, requests for new or replacement Social Security number (SSN) cards, or issues involving the granting or denial of benefits. These issues can be addressed by:

Medicare or Medicaid Fraud

In addition, if you wish to report Medicare or Medicaid fraud, please contact:

Identity Theft

The use of your Social Security number by someone else to obtain credit, loans, telephone accounts, or other goods and services should be reported to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). The FTC collects complaints about identity theft from those whose identities have been stolen. Although the FTC does not have the authority to bring criminal cases, the FTC can help victims of identity theft by providing information to assist them in resolving the financial and other problems that can result from this crime. The FTC puts your information into a secure consumer fraud database and may, in appropriate instances, share it with other law enforcement agencies and private entities, including any companies about which you may complain. You can reach the FTC directly by:

The Social Security Administration cannot fix your credit record if someone has misused your Social Security number (SSN) to obtain credit. To resolve your credit problems, you need to contact the institution that authorized the credit and/or issued the credit card, as well as the major credit reporting agencies. Obtain a copy of your credit report and ask that an alert be placed on your credit record requiring that you be contacted before credit is extended using your name and SSN. The three major credit reporting agencies are:

  • Equifax — 1-800-525-6285
  • Trans Union — 1-800-680-7289
  • Experian — 1-888-397-3742

Work with each credit bureau, creditor, employer and government agency involved to remove inaccurate information from your records. You should continue checking your credit report annually for inaccuracies. Keep copies of your correspondence, records of your telephone calls and other documents verifying your efforts to correct the problem.

The Federal government and numerous states have passed laws prohibiting identity theft. Anyone who intentionally uses the Social Security number of another person to establish a new identity or defraud the government is breaking the law.

To get more information about the Social Security numbers and identity theft, download the following publications and/or visit the following websites.

FTC Information

Social Security Information

Image: Question Mark Icon What Do I Need to Know When Contacting the Hotline?

To act on your allegation, we need you to provide as much identifying information as possible regarding the suspect, victim, and the details of what occurred. The more you can tell us, the better chance we have of determining whether a crime has been committed. Your information should include the following:

  • Who committed the Fraud? (Include Suspect Name, Social Security Number, Date of Birth, Address, and Telephone Number)
  • Who the Victims are? (Include Victim Name, Social Security Number, Date of Birth, Address, and Telephone Number)
  • What exactly did the suspect do?
  • Where did the fraud take place?
  • When did it happen?
  • How was the fraud committed?
  • Do you know why the person committed the fraud?
  • Who else has knowledge of the potential violation?

Image: Question Mark Icon May I Remain Anonymous?

Yes, however, please keep in mind that your decision for anonymity may limit our ability to conduct a complete investigation.
 

Image: Question Mark Icon Will My Identity Remain Confidential?

In some instances, informants may believe that the disclosure of their identities may create problems or place them in danger. We will protect the identity of complainants to the maximum extent allowed by law and only release your identity to those officials who have a need to know. Specifically, Section 7(b) of the Inspector General Act of 1978 precludes the IG from disclosing the identity of a Social Security employee who reports an allegation or provides information, without the employee's consent, unless the IG determines that disclosure is unavoidable during the course of the investigation. Non-SSA employees who report allegations may also request confidentiality.

Image: Question Mark Icon What Can I Expect if I Make A Report to the Hotline?

We cannot provide information regarding what action we have taken on any allegation reported to our office. Federal regulations prohibit the disclosure of information contained in law enforcement records even to the individual making the allegation. Unless you are contacted directly by one of our investigators, there will be no communication from our office. Under no circumstances will we provide you with the "status" of action taken on the allegation.

If you are an SSA employee, SSA may not take action against you solely because of your submission of an allegation to the SSA OIG hotline. Federal laws protect employees from reprisals by their employers for "blowing the whistle" on illegal activity.
 

Privacy Act Notice

Our authority to request information concerning fraud, waste and abuse in connection with the programs and operations of SSA is found in the Inspector General Act of 1978, as amended, 5 U.S.C. App. 3, sec. 4.

Information that you submit will be used principally for investigations into fraud, waste, and abuse in connection with the programs and operations of the SSA. This includes benefits fraud, fraud in connection with obtaining a Social Security Number, and all other possible criminal and civil violations of the Social Security Act.

Your submission is voluntary. There is no penalty for failing to report a possible violation. However, you may be subject to possible criminal or civil penalties for reporting false information to SSA, in some instances. You should report the truth as you know it.

We may make disclosures of information you submit to others, including other Federal and State law enforcement agencies, as necessary to complete our investigation, or as required under Federal law. We may refer your allegation to the appropriate law enforcement agency if we believe you have alleged a criminal or civil violation properly within their jurisdiction. We will refer all allegations of identity theft to the Federal Trade Commission. We may refer your allegation to the SSA if we believe your allegation may be addressed through administrative action, for instance, if you allege a simple mistake in the computation of your benefit amount. A complete list of the permissible disclosures we may make of allegations and investigative information may be found in the Federal Register at 60 Fed. Reg. 19619 (April 19, 1995).

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  Last reviewed or modified Thursday Feb 28, 2008