The Social Security Administration announced a 3.6 percent cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) for 2027 affecting 76 million beneficiaries. The increase is automatic and requires no action from beneficiaries to receive it.
The SSA has been providing annual COLAs since 1975 to ensure inflation does not erode benefits. The agency emphasized that beneficiaries do not need to register, apply, or activate the benefit increase.
However, the SSA Office of Inspector General is warning of a scam targeting beneficiaries. Scammers contact people by phone, text, email, social media, or mail claiming they can increase payments or activate the COLA in exchange for a fee or personal information. Some scammers impersonate Social Security or other government employees, use the names or job titles of real government officials, send fake documents designed to look legitimate, or direct beneficiaries to fraudulent websites.
To protect yourself, the SSA recommends being skeptical of unsolicited communications about benefit increases. Verify government contact information through America.gov and sign up for a my Social Security account at ssa.gov/myaccount to prevent misuse and manage benefits.
Suspected Social Security scams can be reported to the SSA OIG Fraud Hotline at 1-800-269-0271 Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. ET, or online at ssa.gov/scam.