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Check Your Eligibility

Scam Prevention and Online Safety Guide for People with Disabilities

People with disabilities may face particular scam risks, especially when criminals exploit disability benefits, healthcare needs, housing needs, accessibility tools, or relationships with caregivers. Scammers may try to take money or personal information from vulnerable people like older adults and people living with health conditions or disabilities. If you or a loved one is living with a disability, it’s important to be aware of how online scams occur, what contact from a scammer may look like, and what to do if your information is compromised.

Common Digital Environments Where Scams Occur

Scams can happen anywhere on the internet, as well as through email, social media, text messages, phone calls, and accessibility platforms. It’s important to recognize red flags across all forms of communication and online platforms. If you receive an unexpected call, text, email, letter, or message asking for money or personal information, be skeptical—it may be a scam.

Common Disability-Related Scams

SSDI Scams

Scammers may send false disability benefit approval notices, impersonate Social Security Administration employees, or offer fraudulent help with Social Security Disability Insurance or Supplemental Security Income applications. They may contact you even if you have not applied for benefits. Do not provide your Social Security number, bank information, or account credentials in response to an unexpected or unverified call. Instead, end the call and contact the Social Security Administration using a phone number or website you know is legitimate. Pressure to act immediately or provide sensitive information is a common warning sign of a scam.

In 2026, the SSA and OIG warned the public about a significant increase in government imposter scam emails falsely claiming to provide access to a recipient’s Social Security statement. Cybercriminals continue to impersonate the Social Security Administration and other government agencies to obtain personal information or money from vulnerable individuals.

Medicare Scams

A scammer might call, email, text, write letters, or send messages on social media to a person with disabilities, pretending to be affiliated with Medicare. They may even use the name of someone who really works for the government and send a picture or attachment as proof. These fraudulent calls, fake billing notices, and phishing attempts for insurance details should be reported.

Caregiver Fraud

In some cases, caregivers of people with disabilities may misuse funds, access benefits improperly, or manipulate trust relationships to gain money or other benefits.

Charity Scams

You may receive texts, emails, or messages about fake disability charities, disaster relief scams, and fraudulent donation requests. Be sure to fact-check the phone number, email address, or account of whoever is contacting you–if it isn’t coming from an official source, it’s likely a scam.

Employment Scams

After the pandemic, there has been a rise in fake job offers sent to individuals via email, phone, or text, especially those offering work-from-home jobs. If you receive an unsolicited job offer from an unknown source, it may be a scam to steal your personal information.

Housing Scams

Fake rental listings, accessibility housing fraud, and deposit scams all target vulnerable renters, including people with disabilities.

Romance Scams

Unfortunately, some scammers pretend to build romantic or friendly relationships with individuals with disabilities through dating apps or social media. They then use emotional manipulation to get money or personal information from their victims.

Warning Signs of Online Scams for People with Disabilities

It’s important to stop, think, and look for red flags before engaging with suspicious messages or requests.

Urgency and Pressure Tactics

Scammers often pressure people into making quick decisions to prevent verification. They may threaten arrest, legal action, or suspension of your Social Security number or benefits unless you immediately pay money or gift cards.

Requests for Personal, Medical, or Financial Information

Scammers often demand gift cards, cryptocurrency, wire transfers, cash, or precious metals because these payments may be difficult to reverse or recover.

Too-good-to-be-true Offers and Accessibility Promises

Unrealistic claims like “guaranteed benefits” or “instant disability approval” are often signs of a scam.

Requests for Payment via Gift Cards or Unusual Methods

Many scammers attempt to solicit money from victims in the form of gift cards or precious metals, which are more difficult to trace than cash or wire transfers. If someone messages you demanding gift cards, it is almost certainly a scam.

Unsolicited Contact Claiming Government or Medical Authority

Scammers may try to impersonate employees from the Social Security Administration, Medicare, or disability agencies to try to pressure you into giving up your personal information. If you receive suspicious unsolicited contact from someone claiming to be from a government agency, contact the agency through a phone number, email, or office you know is legitimate to check the status of your account and benefits.

How Family Members and Caregivers Can Help

Family members and caregivers can help protect the money, benefits, and personal information of their loved ones with disabilities.

Supporting Safe Financial and Digital Decision Making

Caregivers can assist without controlling or overriding independence by encouraging safe financial and digital decision-making. It’s important to help your loved one understand what information should be kept private, such as full names, addresses, birthdays, financial information, passwords, and medical or benefits information.

Monitoring for Suspicious Activity Without Violating Privacy

You can still spot fraud risks while respecting your loved one’s boundaries. If they come to you about a call, email, or message that seems suspicious, guide them through verifying the source and determining whether it is a scam.

Strengthening Passwords and Account Security

Use secure login protection, multi-factor authentication, and password managers to create strong passwords that cannot be easily shared or guessed.

Using Accessible Browser and Device Settings

Use screen readers, voice control safety, and trusted accessibility tools to prevent unauthorized access to your loved one’s accounts, benefits, and more.

Verifying Sources Before Responding

Confirm the legitimacy of emails, calls, and websites before responding or clicking any links.

What to Do If You’ve Been Scammed

Immediately after being scammed online, take these steps to limit the damage and begin recovery. If scammers stole money from you, know that criminal behavior is not your fault. Stop talking to the scammer, block their phone or email, and call the police.

Secure Your Accounts and Stop Further Damage

If any of your online accounts were compromised, change the passwords immediately and enable multifactor authentication when available. If your financial or identifying information was stolen, contact the affected financial institutions, review your accounts for unauthorized activity, and consider placing a security freeze on your credit files with the three major credit bureaus.

Report the Scam to Relevant Organizations

You can report a scam to the relevant organization, such as the bank, credit bureau, government agency, or platform that was involved.

Document Everything for Potential Legal Action

It’s crucial to save emails, screenshots, and call records of a scam in case you decide to move forward with legal action.

Reporting Resources

Depending on your state, reporting channels may vary. Use both federal and state-level resources to report scams.

Federal Reporting Agencies

  • Medicare: Report suspected Medicare fraud by calling 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) or submitting a report online.
  • Federal Trade Commission: Report scams and fraud at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.
  • Social Security Administration Office of the Inspector General: Report suspected Social Security fraud at secure.ssa.gov/oig/fraud.
  • Senior Medicare Patrol: Call 1-877-808-2468 for help identifying and reporting suspected Medicare fraud, errors, or abuse.

State Consumer Protection Offices and Attorneys General

You can find and contact the state-level consumer protection office in your state by searching this website or looking up your state’s attorney general’s office. Some states’ resources are included below.

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Staying Alert and Informed Online

As a person living with a disability or a caregiver of someone with a disability, it’s important to stay aware of the methods modern scammers use to solicit money, benefits, or personal information from vulnerable people. Be proactive about protecting your privacy, and always pause before responding to a suspicious, unknown call, email, or message.