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If you have an online Social Security account, you may have gotten an unusual email on Oct. 30 or 31. It was real.
The email, sent Oct. 30 and 31 under the name of Social Security Commissioner Frank Bisignano, said: “Under President Donald J. Trump, the Social Security Administration (SSA) is transforming into a model of excellence,” Newsweek reported (1).
A separate IRS email, attributed to Bisignano, who also serves as the IRS’s chief executive, told readers: “Hardworking Americans like you are keeping more of what they earn because of President Trump’s historic tax cuts.” (1)
Some legal experts have questioned whether the emails, sent just days before the midterm elections, broke the law. There has been no official ruling that they did (1).
Whatever you think of the message, here’s my worry. Scammers love government email, because people trust it. People reported losing $3.5 billion to imposter scams in 2025, including about $920 million to government impersonators, the Federal Trade Commission says (2).
I’ve been writing about money for more than 35 years, and here’s the good news: the real agencies have rules about how they contact you and what they’ll never do (3)(4). Learn them, and the fakes get a lot easier to spot.
Here are five ways to tell the real thing from a fake.
1. The IRS doesn’t normally email you first
Even the IRS email carried a disclaimer that the agency “does not generally send e-mails to taxpayers,” according to Newsweek (1).
That matches the IRS’s own guidance. “A letter or notice is the first way the IRS will contact a taxpayer,” the agency says.
It adds that it “doesn’t make initial contact through email or social media channels” and “only sends text messages with the taxpayer’s permission.” (3)
So an email or text that claims you owe the IRS money, or that a refund is waiting, deserves suspicion. Don’t click. Don’t reply.
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2. Social Security will never threaten you
Social Security’s inspector general is blunt about this. In a 2022 guide, it said the agency will never threaten you, never suspend your Social Security number and never demand immediate payment from you (4).
And Social Security says it “will never ask for sensitive or personal information through social media, email, or text message.” (5)
If a caller, email or text says your number has been suspended, or that you’ll be arrested unless you act now, you’re talking to a crook. Hang up or delete.
3. Gift cards, wire transfers and crypto are a dead giveaway
Social Security will never require payment by cash, gift card, prepaid debit card, wire transfer or internet currency, according to its inspector general (4).
The IRS says it “will never ask a taxpayer to pay using any form of pre-paid card,” and that includes gift cards (3). If someone claiming to be from Social Security or the IRS wants a gift card or cryptocurrency, it’s a scam.
Quick gut-check — if your money advice is coming from random online influencers, you’re playing a dangerous game. I’ve been a CPA since 1981 and writing about money since before the internet existed. Sign up for the free Money Talks Newsletter and get expert advice that’s been tested by time.
4. Never click the link. Go to the site yourself
Here’s the simplest habit I know. When any email claims to be from Social Security, the IRS, your bank or Medicare, don’t use its links. Type the agency’s address into your browser yourself, or use a bookmark you’ve saved, and log in from there.
If it’s real, you can confirm it there, or by calling the agency at a number you look up yourself. If it isn’t, you just dodged a scam.
While you’re logged in to your financial accounts, look for charges you don’t recognize, especially small recurring ones that are easy to overlook.
And while you’re at it, look for other charges. Forgotten streaming services, free trials that never ended, bills that creep up every year — recurring charges are the easiest money leak to miss.
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5. Learn the four red flags
Social Security lists four signs of a scam: “Scammers pretend to be from an agency or organization you know to gain your trust.” “Scammers say there is a problem or a prize.” “Scammers pressure you to act immediately.” “Scammers tell you to pay in a specific way.” (5)
One red flag is enough to stop and check. If you think you’ve been targeted, you can report it to Social Security’s inspector general at oig.ssa.gov.
My honest take
This time, the email in your inbox really was from the government. That’s exactly why it’s a good moment for a refresher, because the next one claiming to be from Social Security may not be.
Slow down. Never let an email, text or caller rush you. A real agency will still be there tomorrow, and a scammer won’t wait for you to check.
Sources: 1. Newsweek; 2. Federal Trade Commission; 3. IRS; 4. Social Security Administration Office of the Inspector General; 5. Social Security Administration
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