My Social Security Scam: Identity Theft Warning

Posted: August 15, 2016 to News.

Tags: Malware, Data Breach, Compliance

The Social Security Administration (SSA) has set a convenient online service called My SocialSecurity for retirees and others on social security to check their earnings history, benefits, change their address, or how they receive benefits. It even supports two-factor authentication. Unfortunately, scammers have also found two new ways to take advantage of the service and its users. The first is a pretty typical phishing scam. The victim gets an email with a link that appears to be from the SSA, inviting them to sign up for My SocialSecurity. In reality the link sends them to a page requesting personal information that then allows scammers to steal the victim’s identity and opens them up to other scams. The second scam involves thieves simply setting up a My SocialSecurity account in someone else’s name, possibly using information taken from the first phishing scam. Once they’ve set up the account, it’s just a simple matter of having Social Security benefits funneled into an account the scammers control. There are a few things you can do to avoid being taken advantage of. Firstly, be careful what you click on. Never click on links in an email unless you are certain they’re legit. Second, go ahead and go to My SocialSecurity’s website and set up an account. This will beat any would be thieves to the punch. If you want to go even further, once you’ve set up your account you can take the added step of going into the account settings and selecting the option that requires any banking changes to be done in person at a Social Security office.

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About the Author

Craig Petronella

CEO, Founder & AI Architect, Petronella Technology Group

Craig Petronella founded Petronella Technology Group in 2002 and has spent more than 30 years working at the intersection of cybersecurity, AI, compliance, and digital forensics. He holds the CMMC Registered Practitioner credential (RP-1372) issued by the Cyber AB, is an NC Licensed Digital Forensics Examiner (License #604180-DFE), and completed MIT Professional Education programs in AI, Blockchain, and Cybersecurity. Craig also holds CompTIA Security+, CCNA, and Hyperledger certifications.

He is an Amazon #1 Best-Selling Author of 15+ books on cybersecurity and compliance, host of the Encrypted Ambition podcast (95+ episodes on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Amazon), and a cybersecurity keynote speaker with 200+ engagements at conferences, law firms, and corporate boardrooms. Craig serves as Contributing Editor for Cybersecurity at NC Triangle Attorney at Law Magazine and is a guest lecturer at NCCU School of Law. He has served as a digital forensics expert witness in federal and state court cases involving cybercrime, cryptocurrency fraud, SIM-swap attacks, and data breaches.

Under his leadership, Petronella Technology Group has served 2,500+ clients, maintained a zero-breach record among compliant clients, earned a BBB A+ rating every year since 2003, and been featured as a cybersecurity authority on CBS, ABC, NBC, FOX, and WRAL. The company leverages SOC 2 Type II certified platforms and specializes in AI implementation, managed cybersecurity, CMMC/HIPAA/SOC 2 compliance, and digital forensics for businesses across the United States.

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My Social Security Scam: Identity Theft Warning

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