📋 AARP: Identity Fraud Victims Need More Help From SSA (AARP Article)

[SpringIsHereVA]

FROM THE ARTICLE:

AARP Backs Effort to Improve SSA's Assistance for Identity Fraud Victims.

Congressional bill calls for streamlining help for older adults whose Social Security numbers have been stolen or misused.

By Christina Ianzito, AARP. Published May 12, 2025.

Identity fraud has reached epidemic proportions in the U.S, costing Americans an estimated $47 billion in 2024, with roughly 15 million victims, according to “Resolving the Shattered Identity Crisis,” an AARP-sponsored report from Javelin Strategy & Research. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) received 1.13 million identity theft reports in 2024, up from 650,000 in 2019.

Social Security numbers in particular are like gold to criminals hoping to perpetrate identity fraud, which often leaves victims to “face a daunting and frustrating process to reclaim their identity,” notes Bill Sweeney, AARP’s senior vice president for government affairs.

USE LINK BELOW TO READ THE ARTICLE:

https://www.aarp.org/politics-society/advocacy/info-2025/improving-service-identity-theft-victims.ht...

[SpringIsHereVA]

[Tuesday 5/13/25]

🤔  Anyone Else Concerned About Our FULL Social Security Numbers Are On Our MAILED Yearly Statement?

➡️[*** Form SSA-1099 Discussion!!!

I had never paid attention to the area our Social Security Numbers are printed on our YEARLY Social Security Retirement STATEMENT until JANUARY 2023 when I received that year's copy in my MAILBOX.

I guess I was not paying attention since retiring July 2020.

I am signed up to get everything ONLINE, but for some reason they INSIST on mailing ONLY this to my apartment address.

I can see the ONLINE version, so why mail me a PRINT COPY?

Hmmm, suppose a dishonest postal worker opens the envelope which is obviously just 1 sheet and from the Social Security Administration.

Suppose our mail gets stolen or delivered to the wrong person.

I would have thought using the usual x's would protect us. Example, xxx-xx-1234.

Thank you,
Nicole 👵 (Social Security Forum)

[GailL1]

You should be able to opt-out of receiving the Social Security Benefits Statement by mail on your online account.

See item (C) 2.  on this SSA.gov page unless you might be one that has to be figured manually and then I think they are mailed.  But those are kind of rare.

SSA.gov - Program Operations Manual System (POMS) - GN 05002.005 The Social Security Benefit Stateme... 

[SpringIsHereVA]

[Tuesday 5/13/25]

@GailL1 , when I CALLED Social Security to ask for this to change = NO mail from them in my Apartment Mailbox, I was told that was NOT an option for Form SSA-1099. Form SSA-1099 has to be MAILED. I get Retirement Social Security since 2020.

➡️[*** Gail wrote on 1/11/24:
===============================
I believe they are referring to the SSA-1099 - the 2022 TY document still showed the whole SS number in Box 2 -
Haven’t received the 2023 TY doc yet to see if this is still the case.

LINK TO THIS POST BELOW:

https://community.aarp.org/t5/Social-Security/Anyone-Else-Concerned-About-Our-FULL-Social-Security-N...

[GailL1]

The SSA.gov POMS (Program Operations Manual System) link that I referenced is dated 04/23/2025) - you follow these step by step instructions on your mySocialSecurity acct and chose the option of no mail.

Reprinting Steps Here:

C. Policy for issuing and mailing the Social Security Benefit Statement

2. mySocial Security (mySSA) 1099/1042S Digital delivery

Beneficiaries can access a copy of their form SSA-1099 or SSA-1042 online by visiting mySSA. This website allows mySSA Internet Users (IUs) to view, print, save or request a mailed replacement Social Security Benefit Statement. For more information on a replacement statement, please see E.4 below.  Beneficiaries can also opt out of receiving their annual statement by mail by completing the following steps:

• •

  Select “Message Center”,

• •

  Navigate to the Preferences section,

• •

  Select “Set Preferences”,

• •

  Select a communications preference:

  • –

    I only want secure online notices. Do not send a paper copy if available online.” or

  • –

    “I would like paper notices in the mail, and online notices.”,

• •

  Open the Authorization Agreement to proceed and select that you have read and agree with the authorization to stop receiving paper mailings since your notice is available online,

• •

  Select a notification preference to receive a text, email or both when a new message is in the Message Center,

• •

  Select “Save and Continue”

• •

  You should receive a message “You have successfully updated your preferences.”

For more information about opting out of the mailing, visit NL 01201.001.    

[SpringIsHereVA]

@GailL1 , are you saying what Social Security told me on the phone was NOT true? I call them versus reading ALOT of data as I am VERY BUSY in my "real" life. Anyway, take care. Nicole  👵

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➡️[*** Gail wrote on Tuesday 5/13/25:

The SSA.gov POMS (Program Operations Manual System) link that I referenced is dated 04/23/2025) - you follow these step by step instructions on your mySocialSecurity acct and chose the option of no mail.

Reprinting Steps Here:

C. Policy for issuing and mailing the Social Security Benefit Statement

2. mySocial Security (mySSA) 1099/1042S Digital delivery

Beneficiaries can access a copy of their form SSA-1099 or SSA-1042 online by visiting mySSA. This website allows mySSA Internet Users (IUs) to view, print, save or request a mailed replacement Social Security Benefit Statement. For more information on a replacement statement, please see E.4 below.  Beneficiaries can also opt out of receiving their annual statement by mail by completing the following steps:

• •

  Select “Message Center”,

• •

  Navigate to the Preferences section,

• •

  Select “Set Preferences”,

• •

  Select a communications preference:

  • –

    I only want secure online notices. Do not send a paper copy if available online.” or

  • –

    “I would like paper notices in the mail, and online notices.”,

• •

  Open the Authorization Agreement to proceed and select that you have read and agree with the authorization to stop receiving paper mailings since your notice is available online,

• •

  Select a notification preference to receive a text, email or both when a new message is in the Message Center,

• •

  Select “Save and Continue”

• •

  You should receive a message “You have successfully updated your preferences.”

For more information about opting out of the mailing, visit NL 01201.001. ***]

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[GailL1]

I am saying that this option seems to have just been created in the program - it has an issue date of 04/23/2025.  That’s just a few weeks ago.  

From the older post, I think you called in 2024 - they were working on it at the time - NOW, it seems to be in place for all beneficiaries to create their option - mail or no mail on their individual Social Security account.  

This is one of the anti-fraud / anti-identity theft actions that the current administration is pursuing to make Social Security a much more secure government program.

[SpringIsHereVA]

ok @GailL1 .

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@GailL1 wrote:

I am saying that this option seems to have just been created in the program - it has an issue date of 04/23/2025.  That’s just a few weeks ago.  

From the older post, I think you called in 2024 - they were working on it at the time - NOW, it seems to be in place for all beneficiaries to create their option - mail or no mail on their individual Social Security account.  

This is one of the anti-fraud / anti-identity theft actions that the current administration is pursuing to make Social Security a much more secure government program.

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