This is the Social Security card I was issued 50 years ago.

I’m over the hill now so I thought it was time that I tap into my Social Security savings that I’ve been paying into for over fifty years. The funds are running out so I decided to try to get a little boost before they go banko.

I must say over this entire time, I’ve been very careful to never share my Social Security number with anyone that might take advantage of it. I will never change that adherence to my financial safety.

So I applied online to get my bennies. My app didn’t go through and advised me to visit the local office. I drove to Kennewick to get an online code. While I sat in the office, I was amazed that I was the oldest guy in line. Most of the sponges were half my age and were probably already on the dole for twice what I was trying to get. I’ll bet none of them had forked over the amount of dough I had. Something is wrong with the system.

Came home and input the code. I was commanded to wait and they’d get back to me. This was a couple of weeks ago. Yesterday I got a call on my cell from a private number just like the robo callers and scammers use. It was from McAllen TX. (469) 656 6039 to be exact. She claimed she was from Social Security and wanted my full SS number.

I asked if she could give me any verification that she wasn’t a scammer. She said no but she had to have my number to continue the conversation. Typical scam talk.

I informed her that every time I call Social Security, the first five minutes of their recording is a warning about all the scammers claiming they are from SS and telling us not to give out our Social Security numbers. And yet now a supposed employee was making the very call the SSA constantly warns us about.

So how are we supposed to know who are scammers and who are legit? She couldn’t answer my question and even got a little irate so we hung up on each other.

I then looked her number up on line. Half the info said it was a scammer number and half said it was legit.

I sat back and collected my wits for a minute and then remembered that Social Security is just a big scam anyway. Far bigger and far older than any of these novice scammers that have been trying to get their hooks in us for just a decade or so since the internet hatched. For 84 years now, before most Americans owned a phone, the government has been extracting our funds.

And guess what? In spite of all their pillaging and plundering, their piggy bank is broke!

So here I sit. I probably will never see a benefit check now because I’ve ticked their scammer/agents off. The only thing I can do is keep my social security information private where no one can get a hold of it. I would advise everyone to do the same.

If nothing else, I’m feeling pretty darn good right now about the level of security I’ve attained.