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The Social Security Administration (SSA), Office of the Inspector General (OIG), Fraud Hotline provides an avenue for reporting fraud, waste, and abuse within SSA's programs and operations. The SSA OIG Fraud Hotline receives allegations by telephone, regular mail, facsimile, and electronic mail. Allegations received at the SSA OIG Fraud Hotline are carefully reviewed to determine the most appropriate course of action.

The OIG is an independent law enforcement agency mandated to investigate fraud in SSA programs. Our specialists are trained to take reports regarding allegations of fraud, waste and abuse within Social Security programs and operations. We cannot assist you or intervene in applications for benefits currently pending before SSA. If you have been denied benefits you should use the appellate process provided with your denial notice for contesting that denial. The fact that you have been denied benefits is not the basis for a fraud allegation unless one of the criminal acts listed below is involved.

If you need to speak with someone regarding the denial of benefits, have questions regarding your Social Security Account, would like a replacement SSN card, or are seeking general information about Social Security programs, call (toll free) 1-800-772-1213 or visit their website at http://www.socialsecurity.gov/reach.htm.

If you wish to report Medicare or Medicaid fraud, please contact the Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General at 1-800-447-8477, or visit their website at http://oig.hhs.gov/hotline.html.

If you wish to report identity theft, please contact the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). The FTC is the federal clearinghouse for identity theft complaints at www.consumer.gov/idtheft/filing_complaintwftc.html.

SSA OIG HOTLINE CONTACT INFORMATION

EMAIL: Fraud Reporting Form

WARNING: Due to the inherently open nature of Internet transmissions, we cannot guarantee that your allegation will not be viewed by others while en route to us. As we cannot guarantee the confidentiality of such submissions to the SSA OIG Fraud Hotline, you may wish to submit your written allegation by fax or regular mail if confidentiality is important to you. If you submit an allegation by completing the online fraud reporting form, you will be waiving confidentiality, although we will keep your information confidential once we receive it.

If you send an allegation via email, please provide your name, telephone number and address.

MAIL: SSA FRAUD HOTLINE
              PO BOX 17768
              BALTIMORE, MD 21235


FAX: 410-597-0118

CALL: 1-800-269-0271
Hours of operation: 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time

TTY: 1-866-501-2101
If you are deaf or hard of hearing, you may call our TTY number.

Guidelines for Reporting Fraud

The SSA OIG Fraud Hotline is a clearinghouse for receiving and handling allegations regarding violations of law or regulations affecting Social Security Administration (SSA) programs and operations. Examples of violations include:

Blue Bullet Criminal activity such as:

  Red Arrow False statements on claims
  Red Arrow Concealment of material facts or events affecting eligibility
  Red Arrow Misuse of benefits by a representative payee
  Red Arrow Buying or selling Social Security cards or SSA information
  Red Arrow SSN misuse involving people with links to terrorist groups or activities
  Red Arrow Crimes involving SSA employees

Blue Bullet Other violations such as:

  Red ArrowConflict of interest
  Red ArrowFraud or misuse of grant or contracting funds
  Red ArrowSignificant mismanagement and waste of funds
  Red ArrowStandards of conduct violations

We would like you to think carefully about the allegation and the information you have available that can help us determine whether a crime has been committed. To process your allegation, we will need you to provide as much identifying information as possible regarding the suspect and victim. Your information should include:

Blue Bullet Name
Blue Bullet SSN
Blue Bullet Date of Birth
Blue Bullet Address
Blue Bullet Telephone Number

Without sufficient identifying information we will be unable to act on your allegation.

Details regarding the allegation should include the basics of:

   Red ArrowWho committed the fraud?
   Red ArrowWhat exactly did the suspect do?
   Red ArrowWhere did the fraud take place?
   Red ArrowWhen did it happen?
   Red ArrowHow was the Fraud committed? 
   Red ArrowDo you know why the person committed the fraud?
   Red ArrowWho else has knowledge of the potential violation?

The more you can tell us, the better chance we have of determining whether a crime has been committed.

We are very interested in the information you have to provide regarding fraud in SSA programs. However, we cannot provide information regarding what action we have taken on any allegation reported to our office. Federal regulations prohibit the disclosure of information contained in law enforcement records even to the individual making the allegation. Under no circumstances will we provide you with the "status" of action taken on the allegation. Once we receive the information from you, you will receive an acknowledgement letter. If you send us an allegation by electronic mail, an acknowledgement will be sent automatically to your email address. Unless you are contacted directly by one of our investigators, there will be no further communication from our office.

PRIVACY ACT NOTICE

Our authority to request information concerning fraud, waste and abuse in connection with the programs and operations of the Social Security Administration (SSA) is found in the Inspector General Act of 1978, as amended, 5 U.S.C. App. 3, sec. 4. You may submit your information anonymously.

Information that you submit will be used principally for investigations into fraud, waste, and abuse in connection with the programs and operations of the SSA. This includes benefits fraud, fraud in connection with obtaining a Social Security Number, identity theft involving misuse of a Social Security Number, and all other possible criminal and civil violations of the Social Security Act.

We may make disclosures of information you submit to other Federal and State government law enforcement agencies as necessary to complete our investigation, or as required under Federal law. We may refer your allegation to the appropriate law enforcement agency if we believe you have alleged a criminal or civil violation properly within their jurisdiction. We will refer all allegations of identity theft to the Federal Trade Commission. We may refer your allegation to the SSA if we believe your allegation may be addressed through administrative action, for instance, if you allege a simple mistake in the computation of your benefit amount.

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