Fraud Advisory
Social Security Administration
Office of the Inspector General
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Tracy Lynge
June 5, 2008 Phone: (410) 965-9736
www.socialsecurity.gov/oig
Fax: (410) 966-7075
Social Security
Inspector General Warns Public about Misleading Internet Websites that
Appear to be Official Social Security Administration Site
Recently OIG has received complaints from Social Security applicants
who believed that personal information they provided to the Social Security
Administration had somehow been disclosed, without their permission,
to claimant representative firms.
An Office of the Inspector General investigation revealed that instead,
while the applicants believed they were visiting the Social Security
Administration's official website, they were instead visiting privately-owned
websites designed so as to appear to be that of the Social Security
Administration. As a result, some applicants provided personal information
when the website operators later contacted them to offer representation.
Some of the misleading characteristics of these websites include: official-sounding
website addresses; links which users could click on to (purportedly)
apply for benefits; and the use of patriotic and/or governmental symbols,
such as the American flag.
The Social Security Administration and the Office of the Inspector General
are concerned that some applicants who mistakenly visited these websites
believed they were applying for benefits online with SSA. The Office
of the Inspector General has taken action under Section 1140 of the
Social Security Act to stop the owners of these and similar websites
from misleading the public in this fashion.
"Any organization that uses misleading tactics such as these to
victimize applicants for Social Security benefits will be dealt with
swiftly, and to the full extent of the law," said Patrick P. O'Carroll,
Jr., Inspector General for the Social Security Administration.
To date, the operators of two websites have been contacted and agreed
to alter their sites to eliminate confusion. Nevertheless, Social Security
Commissioner Michael J. Astrue urges the public to exercise caution
online, and to provide personal information only through the Social
Security Administration's official website, www.socialsecurity.gov.
Anyone with knowledge of misleading websites such as those described
in this advisory or any suspicious activity involving Social Security
programs should contact the Office of the Inspector General's Fraud
Hotline at http://www.socialsecurity.gov/oig/hotline/
or by phone at 1-800-269-0271. (Those who are deaf or hard-of-hearing
can call the OIG TTY number at 1-866-501-2101.)
If a person has questions about Social Security benefits or programs,
he or she should contact Social Security's toll-free customer service
number at 1-800-772-1213 or visit Social Security's official website
at www.socialsecurity.gov.
(Those who are deaf or hard-of-hearing can call Social Security's TTY
number at 1-800-325-0778.)
www.socialsecurity.gov
