Don’t Be A Victim of a Social Security Scam?
Posted on March 27, 2022 by shieldsandboris
Sadly, one of the most common scams targets recipients of social security. For example, several years ago, several social security beneficiaries received emails claiming to be from the Social Security Administration. It looked official and asked the recipients to click on a link that would offer additional protection for their benefits.
Other scammers have been known to make phone calls that duplicate government agencies and even have a Washington, D.C. area code. Don’t be fooled by these fake emails and phone calls. All of these communications are created to defraud the recipients by taking your personal information so they can drain your bank accounts.
Take Steps to Protect Yourself
If you’ve been targeted by one of these emails, phone calls, or other scam, you need to take steps to protect yourself.
- Hang Up – If you get contacted by the SSA out of the blue, it is likely a scam. The SSA says that they only call a beneficiary after the beneficiary has initiated a request for help. If you get a call without having initiated contact with the SSA hang up immediately. Some of these calls may be robocalls and ask you to press a button to keep from getting any more calls. Don’t respond by pushing a button. Instead, call the SSA at 1-800-772-1213. This is a customer service line that you can verify if the caller was authentic and find out what they were calling about.
- Report the Call – These scams are common enough that the SSA has a Fraud Hotline where these scam calls can be reported. You can call 1-800-269-0271 or report the scam online at https://oig.ssa.gov/report.
- Never Provide Information Over the Phone – If you are unsure about the call you have received, never give out your personal information to them, even if they are threatening action. Any information that you provide will be used to harm you, not help you. If they ask you to verify information they provide, don’t tell them yes. They could be recording your voice and then use the recording to authorize bank account charges and more.
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