Re: U.S. Social Security Administration: Is this a phishing attempt or real?

[Lucas61]

Hello All,

I just received a scary email to my inbox that threatens fines or imprisonment if I don't send in the form. Sounds like a perfect social engineering phishing attempt. The email is from, or purports to be from, SDOAmericans@state.gov The letter gives me a link to download a form titled SSA-7162 and says that I cannot electronically submit it, that I must mail it to an address in PA or to the U.S. Embassy in Sto. Dom. It says that SSA confirms foreign residency every two years.

I could give more information but this should be enough to answer the question, real or fake? Meanwhile I will google the form and evaluate it rather than click on the link for the form in the letter.

Needless to say, I am big time worried as the letter threatens cancellation of SSA benefits.

 

[Big]

complete utter scam, and I don't receive Social Security.

 

[Lucas61]

O.P. Damn! I think it's real. I went to do.usembassy.gov and if you scroll down a little on the home page, to the left, you will find: "Important Message to Social Security Beneficiaries in the Dominican Republic
23 February, 2023 | Alert, News" and therein I found the same information that I received to my email inbox.

You can make an appointment to bring it to the U.S. Embassy or you can mail it from here and there is a procedure to confirm receipt.
Fine. But there are problems. Problem 1: The information states that I received a mailing two times, going back to 2022, with an envelope, and that I never responded. I never received such a mailing to my U.S. address. It implies that I'm delinquent and that my benefits may now be cancelled; thus, the reason for the harsh tone.

Problem 2: I don't know how to fill out the form. #1 on the form says that I should print my address only if it is different from my address shown below. Duh! Well my address shown below is blank since it's a blank form, so I have no idea if my address is different or not and I have two addresses, one in the U.S. and one in the D.R.

Problem 3: Whenever "addresses" are mentioned, there's no way to know which country is being referred to since the country is never mentioned. My official SSA address is a U.S. address but I have no way to know if the addresses they are asking for here includes my address in the D.R.

Problem 4: I cannot answer various questions because I don't know how to interpret "country of residence." The problem is that "residence" has two definitions, a legal one and an informal or common usage one. I do not reside (informal) in the U.S. but I am not a legal resident of the D.R. (legal) but I do reside here (informal).

Fortunately, at my local SSA office in the U.S. I can make phone contact with staff without waiting on hold, so I'll call and ask for assistance in filling out this form. I recently re-newed my passport here and the U.S. Embassy requires the use of the courier domex.do The staff at Domex were very efficient with respect to mailings to the embassy, so I think I'll try mailing from there.

How about you?

P.S. This is a big bummer email! It seemed so surreal with all the threats, that I thought it must be phishing.

 

[Lucas61]

@Big: Thought the same. Sadly, it appears real. What a load of crap.

 

[Big]

@Big: Thought the same. Sadly, it appears real. What a load of crap.

OK I would be super cautious. I have never heard of an older person getting their SS benefits cut off. As you know many of these scams are well disguised on the internet. Some of the pages look exactly like the government site but are actually designed to rip people off. Good luck and give an update, I am curious.

 

[Lucas61]

OP: And the Alert says that if my form is not submitted, that my benefits could be suspended by next Friday, March 3, 2023! I never received or ever heard of the two mailings in 2022 that they say I never responded to. And now I get a ~ one week's notice of cancellation?? They are f_ing crazy.

 

[Lucas61]

OK I would be super cautious. I have never heard of an older person getting their SS benefits cut off. As you know many of these scams are well disguised on the internet. Some of the pages look exactly like the government site but are actually designed to rip people off. Good luck and give an update, I am curious.

You want to check? Just google and go to the U.S. Embassy in Santo Domingo and see if you get the same notice. Just scroll down on the home page and to the left look for the alert.

 

[cavok]

The email is legit, but I think you're reading it wrong. I received it today. The email says:

" the Social Security Administration (SSA) contacts beneficiaries residing in Dominican Republic biennially (every two years) to verify their status if they have a foreign address on record."

People who make the mistake of having their Social Security sent to a bank in the DR get caught up in this. I suppose if you gave them a Dominican address you could be snagged here, too(?).

 

[Lucas61]

The email is legit, but I think you're reading it wrong. I received it today. The email says:

" the Social Security Administration (SSA) contacts beneficiaries residing in Dominican Republic biennially (every two years) to verify their status if they have a foreign address on record."

People who make the mistake of having their Social Security sent to a bank in the DR get caught up in this. I suppose if you gave them a Dominican address you could be snagged here, too(?).

This is clarifying but I'm still confused. First, I believe now that the only reason why I received this notice is because a. I recently re-newed my passport here, b. I signed up for the STEP (?) program and in one or both cases I gave my Dominican address. At the same time, my ssa.gov address is a U.S. address. And I receive no benefits to a D.R. bank.

Mostly the form wants to know if there are changes to report that could affect your benefits. For me, the answer is "no" on all counts. For the rest of the form, I'm just going to play it straight with my U.S. mail address, a few remarks explaining that that is my official mailing address, etc.

Meanwhile, my wife will go to Domex tomorrow and find out if I can pay with BanReservas debit or if it must be U.S. cash, etc. Then I will print, sign, and mail the form tomorrow.

I think that the tone of the letter is absolutely MALIGN and unpardonable: threatening suspension of benefits NEXT WEEK or imprisonment if I don't submit the form. Is this the GESTAPO? Terrible!! As I said, SO malign, that I thought I was being phished, as these are the kinds of psychological tricks that criminals use but, in this case, it is persons on behalf of the U.S. government.

When I read I omitted or failed to understand the part about "foreign address on record." Is that what you were referring to when you said I read it wrong?

 

[RDKNIGHT]

Scam deleted it and carryon with your day..

 

[SKY]

For the OP. Do you have Direct Deposit in the DR? I just noticed you had dealings with the US Embassy. If the US has you living in a foreign Country there is a form that has to be filled out. It is every year per the website.

It is a Huge mistake to let them know you live here. And they CAN cancel your SS............One of the many benefits the "Free Country" frauds give their citizens............

 

[SKY]

Here it is ...

• Social Security defines living outside the United States as not residing in one of the 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands or American Samoa for at least 30 days in a row. If you return to the United States and stay for more than 30 consecutive days, you are no longer considered to be living abroad.
• Social Security sends recipients living abroad a questionnaire every one or two years (the frequency depends on age, country of residence and other factors) to confirm they remain eligible for benefits. Failing to return the questionnaire will halt your payments.

Collecting Social Security While Living Abroad

In almost all countries, expat Americans who qualify for Social Security benefits can receive their payments the same way they do in the U.S.

www.aarp.org

You have a problem I am afraid. And let this be a warning to those here. STAY FAR AWAY FROM THE US EMBASSY....................

 

[chico bill]

If at any time during the year you have more than $10,000 US in a foreign bank you have to disclose that on form FinCen 114

In addition, if you have home(s), land, rental income, vehicles plus all other 'assets' with a value of over $200,000 you must file Tax Form 8938

The rule of thumb is comply with #1.... but file 8938 at your own peril.

One famous idiot that did not file his foreign income from being a partner in Grupo Punta Cana or his Condo rental was Charlie Rangel - he paid a hefty fine. He made $350,000 profit when he sold and had an unclaimed rental income of over $1 million

But it took them 20 years to catch up to him. So if you have one foot in the grave maybe you "can take it with you"

 

[Lucas61]

Scam deleted it and carryon with your day..

False. Not a scam. Read my posts. Go to the official U.S. Embassy website in Sto. Dom. and you will find exactly the same information that I found in my inbox. I wish it were a scam and that I could carry on with my day.

 

[chico bill]

My fear would be that the US government is so desperate for tax money they are proposing taxing unrealized capital appreciation. With a primary focus on Stocks and bonds, how soon do they wait to turn it on land and homes.

So if the villa you bought 10 years ago in Casa Linda or $100 K is now worth $350K - conceivably they could tax you on $250K long term capital gain, if you were foolish enough to file form 8938.

I doubt this will happen, for a while - but then I never thought I would see a proposal to outlaw the sale of gasoline powered vehicles.

Will used cars become dirt cheap in DR when gasoline is outlawed in the US and Canada ?

 

[Lucas61]

If at any time during the year you have more than $10,000 US in a foreign bank you have to disclose that on form FinCen 114

In addition, if you have home(s), land, rental income, vehicles plus all other 'assets' with a value of over $200,000 you must file Tax Form 8938

The rule of thumb is comply with #1.... but file 8938 at your own peril.

One famous idiot that did not file his foreign income from being a partner in Grupo Punta Cana or his Condo rental was Charlie Rangel - he paid a hefty fine. He made $350,000 profit when he sold and had an unclaimed rental income of over $1 million

But it took them 20 years to catch up to him. So if you have one foot in the grave maybe you "can take it with you"

OK. But I have NONE of the above nor does SSA-7162 mention ANY of the above. The concern here, according to the document, is if I have a arecent change in marriage status, employment income, citizenship or residency, that could be grounds for changing my SSA income.

 

[chico bill]

False. Not a scam. Read my posts. Go to the official U.S. Embassy website in Sto. Dom. and you will find exactly the same information that I found in my inbox. I wish it were a scam and that I could carry on with my day.

The form is fairly innocuous unless you have a child under 16 or a disabled child receiving Social Security, then they might try to find a way to screw them

 

[chico bill]

OK. But I have NONE of the above nor does SSA-7162 mention ANY of the above. The concern here, according to the document, is if I have a arecent change in marriage status, employment income, citizenship or residency, that could be grounds for changing my SSA income.

Answer no to all, unless you filed a request for TAX ID numbers for a spouse and child, in which case if you received them you could add them as deductions to your 1040.
If you have employment income here you better disclose it

 

[playacaribe2]

Thousands of US citizens reside abroad and social security requires citizens living abroad to notify them of their current address. Your current address may not be the the same as the address currently listed with them as lots of retirees move around.

Failure to timely notify them could result in a suspension of benefits until compliance.

The main reason for stricter compliance abroad comes in the death reporting area. Currently, hospitals, funeral homes, nursing homes etc., in the US are required to notify social security of deaths at their facility. This allows social security to terminate those benefits shortly after notification. Such is not the case in many countries, and there are reported cases of people continuing to collect benefits years after the recipient has passed.

Note that another area of fraud involves legal permanent residents collecting ss benefits after returning to their home country. While legal permanent residents are entitled to collect ss benefits, they may not reside outside the US for a period longer than 6 moths or those benefits will be suspended.

Thus that is why there are the legal requirements to provide your current residence. Failure to do so could result in suspension or termination of those benefits

Respectfully,
Playacaribe2

 

[SteveK]

I wouldn't put my head in the sand and ignore it. You certainly need to comply and don't hide anything...be upfront!