Social Security Clickbait

One of the most common clickbaits goes something like this: “6 Major Changes to Social Security Coming in 2026.”

An increasingly common clickbait scenario, frequently sent as an email, usually goes something like this: "Click here to get your annual Social Security statement." Those are always false because the Social Security Administration rarely sends Social Security statements, or any other Social Security information, to people via email. zimmytws/Shutterstock

I’m sure you have seen these little teaser links on the internet that can sometimes be too irresistible to ignore. They have catchy titles such as “20 Celebrities Who Have a Secret Past” or “10 Common Foods That Will Kill You.” This kind of come-on is called “clickbait.” Frequently, it’s a form of false advertising that is designed to entice people browsing the web to follow a link to read or view some content that is usually disingenuous at best and totally misleading at worst.

There is a growing number of Social Security-themed clickbait. As I mentioned in a recent column, one of the most common ones goes something like this: “6 Major Changes to Social Security Coming in 2026.” And I’m sure many people fall for that come-on and open the link, because they sure don’t want to miss out on any major changes to the program that might affect them.