Just a few weeks ago was 'Slam the Scam Day' and Social Security was heavily promoting imposter scams - those impersonating a Social Security representative.

A similar, nefarious effort is often made to impersonate someone from Social Security to help you with services that are otherwise free. Jack Myers with Social Security says those types of efforts can come with penalties of the individual, or individuals, are apprehended.

Myers explains Social Security may impose a penalty against anyone who is charging a fee for a service that Social Security provides free of charge without providing clearly visible notice that Social Security provides the service for free. 

If you receive misleading or suspicious Social Security-related advertisement or communication, please let the Office of the Inspector General know at oig.ssa.gov or send an e-mail to OIG.1140@ssa.gov.

It helps if you can gather as much info as possible like a a screenshot of the page, the website address or social media link- and how you came across it. For e-mails and text messages, please capture the entire message and any message links.

For telephone solicitations, please note caller ID number (may or may not be spoofed) and any company name or call back number that the caller or recorded message provides. 

To learn more, check out the publication called 'What You Need To Know About Misleading Advertising' available at www.ssa.gov/pubs.