Create Your my Social Security Account Before Someone Else Does
An online Social Security account you never opened is one a thief can open. Why SSA says to claim it, how sign-in works now, and when to block access instead.
If you have never created a my Social Security account, someone with your Social Security number could try to create it for you and change where your benefits go. Claiming the account yourself takes about fifteen minutes, and Social Security says it puts alerts on your side.
This is preventive setup at its plainest. The Social Security Administration’s scam page says: “Opening your account helps secure your personal information and prevents identity thieves from fraudulently opening an account in your name. If anyone tries to change your address or direct deposit without your permission, you’ll get an alert right away.”
That applies whether you are already collecting benefits, years away from retiring, or helping a parent. SSA said in February 2026 that over 100 million Americans have created personal accounts.
Create, block, or leave it?
| Your situation | Best option | Why |
|---|---|---|
| You can sign in with Login.gov or ID.me | Create the account | You get alerts for address and direct deposit changes and can see your record |
| A parent who receives benefits and can verify with help | Create it with them, on their device, in their name | The account and its alerts should belong to them |
| Victim of domestic violence or identity theft, or prefers no online access | Block electronic access | SSA lists these among its reasons; no one, including you, can change information online or by automated phone |
| Cannot verify identity online and does not want a block | Contact SSA about in-person options | SSA has required some people to prove identity in person |
How sign-in works now
The old Social Security username and password are gone. SSA’s account FAQ says: “Effective June 7, 2025, Login.gov and IDMe are now the only sign in options to access Social Security online services.” Login.gov needs an email address, a government-issued photo ID and a phone number. ID.me needs an email address, a government-issued ID and a device with a camera. SSA says people with a foreign mailing address should use ID.me.
- Type ssa.gov/myaccount into your browser yourself. Scammers buy ads and send links that imitate government sign-in pages.
- Choose Login.gov or ID.me and create or sign in to that account. Use an email address you check and a strong, unique password.
- Turn on the strongest second step offered, such as an authenticator app or security key, rather than text codes if you can.
- Check your record: mailing address, direct deposit and contact details.
- Confirm alert settings so changes reach your email or phone.
Blocking electronic access: the alternative
SSA’s page on blocking electronic access says: “When you do this, no one, including you, can review or change your personal information online or through our automated telephone service.” Reasons it lists include being a victim of domestic violence or identity theft, or “any reason you do not want your record to be available.” It also says that if you change your mind, “you can ask us to unblock it.”
A block is a strong lock with a real cost: you lose online convenience too. It suits people who will not use online services or who face a specific threat. For most people, creating and watching the account gives the same protection plus the alerts.
What Social Security will and won’t do
An account you check yourself is also your best test for any call or message claiming to be from SSA. A March 5, 2026 SSA and Inspector General release says Social Security will never tell you that your Social Security number is suspended, contact you to demand an immediate payment, threaten you with arrest, ask for credit or debit card numbers over the phone, request gift cards or cash, or promise a benefit approval or increase in exchange for information or money. It adds that if there is a problem with a record, SSA “will typically mail a letter.”
SSA’s scam page also says it “will never ask for sensitive or personal information through social media, email, or text message.” When a message says your benefits are on hold, sign in to your account yourself and look. If nothing is wrong there, nothing is wrong. Our explainer on the FBI’s government impersonation warning covers the wider pattern.
What we know and don’t know about direct deposit changes
SSA said in March 2025 that online direct deposit changes would be processed in one business day instead of being held 30 days, and that people who cannot use the online account would need to visit an office to change direct deposit.
SSA says account holders get an alert when someone tries to change their address or direct deposit.
We could not confirm whether the in-person rule for offline direct deposit changes still applies in November 2026. Check with SSA before relying on it.
The practical point holds either way: a faster online change is good for you and for a thief who reaches your account first, which is why claiming it and watching the alerts matters. The details are in SSA’s March 18, 2025 and March 26, 2025 releases.
Helping an older parent
Do the setup together, at their table, on their phone or computer. The Login.gov or ID.me account, the email and the phone number should all be theirs, so alerts go to them. Write down where the account details are kept. Agree on a rule: “If anyone calls about Social Security, we hang up and sign in together.” Pair it with an IRS Identity Protection PIN and a credit freeze for broader coverage of the same Social Security number.
If something already looks wrong
If your account shows a change you did not make, or you find you cannot create an account because one already exists, contact SSA through ssa.gov and report it to the Inspector General at oig.ssa.gov. SSA also directs scam reports to the OIG at oig.ssa.gov/report.
Sources
- SSA: Protect yourself from Social Security scams
- SSA: my Social Security account FAQs
- SSA: Block electronic access
- SSA press release, March 5, 2026 (Slam the Scam)
- SSA press release, February 9, 2026
- SSA press release, March 18, 2025
- SSA press release, March 26, 2025
- SSA blog: No Tricks, Just Tips (October 30, 2026)