Did you receive a letter from the Supreme Court? Beware, it’s a scam designed to steal money from Social Security beneficiaries

In a chillingly clever scheme, scammers have begun sending recipients fake letters bearing the seal of the U.S. Supreme Court. These documents come ‘signed’ by Justices John Roberts and Sonia Sotomayor, and warn unsuspecting victims that they’re under investigation and that their Social Security numbers have been compromised.

According to the official watchdog for the Agency, the first alert came on October 8 from the Social Security Administration’s Office of the Inspector General, who immediately urged the 75 million beneficiaries to stay vigilant. They warned that the realistic-looking letter is “addressed to the recipient and claims they are a primary suspect in connection with legal proceedings and criminal charges," threatening recipients with legal consequences in order to extract sensitive data or payments.

The letter warns the recipient that in order to protect assets, they must cooperate with the “U.S. Treasury Department” and freeze their financial accounts, otherwise they’ll face liability for any losses. In many cases it instructs the target to visit a counterfeit Social Security webpage where they’re asked to log in or supply credit card information.

According to experts, the scam unfolds in several coordinated steps. John Haraburda, Transaction Network Services (TNS) robocall data expert and director of product management, explained it to CBS: “The fraudsters get very, very smart. They do the mailing, then they’ll send you a text from the number they’re going to use for the phone call saying, ‘This is the Social Security Administration — we’re going to be calling you from this number in a few seconds.’”

“Then you’ve got this text message in a way authenticating the call that’s coming in. That lets you break down your hesitation, to basically drop your guard.”

Michelle L. Anderson, Acting Inspector General, said in an official statement that “on every level this letter is completely false. Scammers continue to exploit fear and confusion by impersonating government agencies and officials. These criminals are falsely accusing an individual of a crime and using federal agencies and federal officials to try to scare and legitimise their scam - if you get this type of letter, rip it up and report it. Be aware of any variations of this scam.”

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In short: if you receive an alarming email or text supposedly from the government, don’t click any links. Instead, go directly to the official website, ssa.gov, and log in from there if needed.

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