The Office of the Inspector General of the Social Security Administration (SSA OIG) published an alert about scammers impersonating Social Security to charge for "activating" the 2027 cost-of-living adjustment (COLA), a process that does not exist because the increase is applied completely automatically.
The announcement comes days after the SSA confirmed a 3.6% increase for 2027, the largest since 2023, which will benefit 76 million Americans starting in January of next year.
According to the alert from the OIG, impostors contact their victims by phone, text message, email, social media, or postal mail, posing as employees of the SSA or other federal agencies.
Once contact is established, the deception can take various forms: demanding payment of a fee to "unlock" the increase, instructing the beneficiary to change their direct deposit account, or persuading them to provide personal or financial information.
The tactics to appear legitimate are sophisticated. The agency warns that scammers may use real names and titles of government employees, send fake documents that look official, or mention personal details of the victim to gain their trust. Some also send links to sites that mimic official portals or ask victims to download malicious programs.
The central message of the OIG is clear: "Social Security beneficiaries do not need to register, apply, or activate the increase in any way; the COLA is automatic."
The increase will begin to be reflected in retirement, disability, and survivor benefits in January 2027. Supplemental Security Income (SSI) recipients will receive it earlier, on December 31, 2026, because January 1 is a holiday.
Those who wish to find out their new amount without waiting for the paper notice can check it through their personal account on my Social Security starting in early December, provided they created the account before November 18, 2026, and activated electronic notifications.
In the event of any suspicious contact, the OIG recommends stopping and being cautious: "Stop. Think about the scam. Be skeptical if you receive a call, a text message, an email, a social media message, or a letter."
Anyone who suspects they have been contacted by an imposter can report it at ssa.gov/scam or by calling the OIG fraud hotline at 1-800-269-0271, available Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Eastern Time.
The Cuban community in South Florida, with a high proportion of seniors who rely on Social Security as their main source of income, is particularly vulnerable to these types of scams.
The Hialeah Police warned last Tuesday about fake agents who demand money to avoid arrests, a scheme that follows the same pattern of government impersonation.
In April, the agency had already warned about a new wave of impostors using the real names of SSA employees and forged credentials.
81% of the reports received by the OIG between April and June 2026 involved someone pretending to represent the SSA or the OIG itself.
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