RICHMOND — Back-and-forth decisions on Social Security policies have created confusion, which may leave some Virginians more vulnerable to scams.
Last month, the Social Security Administration announced in-person or online appointments would be required to sign up for benefits, instead of customer support by phone. The decision has now been reversed.
Jim Dau, state director of AARP Virginia, said the changes give con artists room to come up with new scams. He noted they often start with a phone call, text or email about something “urgent.” If you receive such communication saying it is from the Social Security Administration, Dau warned it is a scam.
“This is the perfect kind of recipe for financial predators to step in and escalate Social Security scams to defraud beneficiaries of their money,” Dau stressed. “Social Security scams are effective in this kind of environment — where people are getting information from here, and bits of information from here — where we are going to see more and more Social Security scams.”
Trump’s billionaire adviser Elon Musk has said Social Security has “massive” amounts of fraud but a review by the Social Security Administration’s Inspector General has found the agency has made improper payments less than 1% of the time.
More than 1.6 million Virginians receive Social Security benefits. Dau emphasized the monthly income is a lifeline to people across the Commonwealth. He added the administration’s initial changes which would have required people to sign up for benefits in person would have negatively affected seniors.
“The prospect of having to go to an in-person meeting at your local Social Security office, hopefully get there on time at a point where the line isn’t too long and you have a reasonable chance of actually seeing somebody that day,” Dau outlined. “And of course, hopefully your Social Security office is open that day — or at all anymore.”
The administration has announced lease terminations of nearly 4% of Social Security field offices. An analysis by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities finds nine percent of Virginia seniors already live more than 45 miles from the nearest office.
