Social Security Fraud: What Qualifies and How to Report It

To report Social Security fraud, contact the Social Security Administration’s Office of the Inspector General through its online portal at oig.ssa.gov/report, by calling the Fraud Hotline at 1-800-269-0271, or by mailing details to the Social Security Fraud Hotline, Office of the Inspector General, PO Box 17785, Baltimore, Maryland 21235.¹ You don’t need proof that a crime occurred. The OIG evaluates every allegation it receives and decides which to investigate, and it took in more than 147,000 fraud allegations in the second half of fiscal year 2025 alone.²

What to Gather Before You File

Investigators work best with specifics. The more concrete the report, the faster it moves through triage.

Start with identifying information about the person you’re reporting: full name, address, phone number, date of birth, and Social Security number if you know it. Then describe the conduct in plain terms. If someone is working while collecting disability, name their employer and describe what they do on the job. Include dates and locations. Explain how you know what you know.³

Evidence carries weight. Screenshots of social media posts showing activity the person claims they can’t perform are useful, along with the profile URL. Save emails and text messages in full. Keep physical mail with its envelope. Note caller ID numbers from suspicious phone calls.⁴ If other people have firsthand knowledge of the activity, include their names and phone numbers so investigators can reach them.

Where to Submit the Report

The online portal at oig.ssa.gov/report is the fastest option. It walks you through a series of screens and issues a confirmation number when you finish.⁵

The Fraud Hotline at 1-800-269-0271 operates weekdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Eastern time. Mailed reports go to the Social Security Fraud Hotline, Office of the Inspector General, PO Box 17785, Baltimore, Maryland 21235.¹ Mail takes longer to enter the investigative queue than the other two channels.

Reporting Anonymously or Confidentially

You can report fraud without giving your name. The OIG encourages you to leave contact information so investigators can follow up, but it isn’t required.³

If you do identify yourself, you can request confidential status. Under that status, the OIG will communicate with you during the investigation but will not release information that identifies you unless compelled by a court order or subpoena.³

Either way, federal regulations prevent the OIG from telling you what happens with your report. You won’t receive status updates. You won’t learn whether the person was investigated, cleared, or charged.⁴ Reporting Social Security fraud also does not come with a financial reward for the reporter.⁶

What Actually Qualifies as Fraud

Federal law under 42 U.S.C. § 408 makes it a felony to lie about or conceal facts that affect Social Security payments.⁷ Reports that describe one of the recognized fraud patterns are more likely to move forward than reports about behavior that turns out to be a mistake or a paperwork problem.

The most common categories:

False statements on applications — exaggerating a disability, inventing employers, or misrepresenting earnings when applying for retirement, disability, or survivor benefits.
Concealing changes that affect eligibility — most often working while collecting disability without disclosing the income, but also hiding a change in marital status or living arrangement.⁷
Representative payee misuse — a payee appointed to manage benefits for a child or an adult with a severe disability spending the money on themselves instead. This is a separate federal crime under 42 U.S.C. § 1383a, and anyone convicted is permanently barred from serving as a representative payee.⁸
Social Security number misuse — selling, buying, or altering cards, or using another person’s number, including a deceased person’s, to collect benefits or build a false identity.⁷

One boundary matters here. Receiving more money than you were entitled to is not automatically fraud. The SSA distinguishes an overpayment from a finding of fault, and someone can be “not at fault” if the overpayment came from an agency error, delayed processing of information they reported on time, or a genuine misunderstanding of their reporting obligations.⁹ If you’re reporting a neighbor because you heard their check was too large, that alone isn’t fraud. Fraud requires that the person knew a statement was false, knew they were supposed to report something, or knew the payments were wrong.

What Happens After You Report

The OIG is the primary agency responsible for investigating fraud against SSA programs, operations, and employees. Its investigators review tips from the public, conduct surveillance, issue subpoenas, and build cases for federal prosecution.⁴

Reports involving suspicious disability claims may be routed to a Cooperative Disability Investigations unit. CDI teams combine federal and state investigators who review questionable medical evidence and conduct field observations, aiming to stop improper payments before they start. During the second half of fiscal year 2025, CDI units denied or ceased 824 disability claims and generated over $57 million in projected savings for SSA programs.¹⁰²

If the OIG builds a criminal case, a conviction under 42 U.S.C. § 408 or § 1383a carries up to five years in federal prison per count and criminal fines up to $250,000.⁷¹¹ Multiple fraudulent acts can each be charged as separate counts. Doctors who submit fabricated medical evidence, translators who alter statements, claimant representatives who file false paperwork, and current or former SSA employees face up to ten years per count.

Not every case ends in prosecution. The OIG can also impose civil monetary penalties under Section 1129 of the Social Security Act. The base penalty of up to $5,000 per false statement has been adjusted upward for inflation and now exceeds $10,000 per violation, and on top of per-statement penalties the OIG can assess up to twice the total amount of benefits improperly received.¹²¹³ Administrative sanctions add another layer: benefits are suspended for six consecutive months on a first offense, twelve on a second, and twenty-four on a third or subsequent offense.¹⁴

Recovery of the money follows conviction. Courts order restitution, and the SSA uses the Treasury Offset Program to intercept federal tax refunds and apply them to unpaid balances. The agency suspended offset collections during the pandemic in March 2020 and resumed them in March 2025, so older debts that went quiet during those years are back in the collection pipeline.¹⁵ Investigations produced over $194 million in recoveries, restitution, and fines in the second half of fiscal year 2025.²

Reporting Scam Calls and Messages That Impersonate SSA

A distinct category of fraud targets beneficiaries rather than defrauding the government. Scammers impersonate SSA employees through phone calls, texts, emails, and physical mail to steal personal information or money, and the OIG has flagged these tactics as a major threat heading into 2026.¹⁶

The playbook is consistent. The caller claims to be from Social Security, describes an urgent problem such as a suspended number or a fraud investigation against you, pressures you to act immediately, and asks for payment through gift cards, cryptocurrency, wire transfers, or cash sent by mail. Real SSA employees will never threaten arrest, demand payment, or ask for gift card numbers. If a contact feels off, hang up and call the SSA directly at 1-800-772-1213.¹⁶

These scam contacts go to the same OIG channels as other fraud reports. Save the full email or text, keep any physical mail with its envelope, and record the caller ID number before you submit through the online portal, hotline, or mail address.⁴

If You Work for the SSA or a Federal Contractor

Employees who report fraud from inside the system have legal protection against retaliation. Under 41 U.S.C. § 4712, employers cannot fire, demote, or otherwise punish an employee of a federal contractor, subcontractor, or grantee for making a good-faith disclosure about wrongdoing. SSA employees have similar protections and can file retaliation complaints with the U.S. Office of Special Counsel or with the SSA OIG.⁶

The OIG maintains a Whistleblower Protection Coordinator who educates employees about their rights and ensures retaliation complaints are reviewed promptly. The coordinator cannot act as your legal representative, so employees facing retaliation after a disclosure should consider consulting an attorney who handles federal whistleblower cases.⁶

1
Office of the Inspector General. Other Ways to Report Fraud
2
Social Security Administration Office of the Inspector General. Semiannual Report to Congress, Fall 2025
3
Social Security Administration Office of the Inspector General. FAQ
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Social Security Administration. Fraud Prevention and Reporting
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Social Security Administration Office of the Inspector General. Report Fraud
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Social Security Administration Office of the Inspector General. Whistleblower Rights and Protection
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Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 42 USC 408 – Penalties
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Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 42 USC 1383a – Penalties for Fraud
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Social Security Administration. Fault Determinations for Overpayment Waiver Requests
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Social Security Administration Office of the Inspector General. Cooperative Disability Investigations
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Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 3571 – Sentence of Fine
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eCFR. 20 CFR Part 498 – Civil Monetary Penalties, Assessments and Recommended Exclusions
13
Federal Register. Annual Civil Monetary Penalties Inflation Adjustment
14
Social Security Administration. Administrative Sanctions – Policy
15
Social Security Administration. The Treasury Offset Program
16
Social Security Administration Office of the Inspector General. Scammers Are Evolving – Our Defense Must Too