1. Threat of arrest or prosecution: If you receive a threatening phone call claiming that there is a problem with your Social Security number or benefits, it is a scam. The Social Security Administration (SSA) will never threaten you with arrest or other legal action if you don`t immediately pay a fine or fees. Fraudsters may threaten arrest or other legal action or offer to increase benefits, protect their property or solve identity theft. They often require payment by gift cards, bank transfers, prepaid debit cards, internet currency or cash. The Social Security Administration will never call you or threaten you with arrest or other legal action. You should simply hang up the phone on anyone who makes these statements. If you are concerned that a call you have received may be legitimate, you can call this office directly. The SSA number is 1-800-772-1213. The OIG will carefully review your request and take appropriate action. However, they cannot provide information on the measures taken in response to a reported claim.
Federal regulations prohibit the disclosure of information contained in the records of law enforcement agencies, even to the person making the request. You may have received one of these calls — either a recorded voice or someone falsely pretending to be a government employee, warning you of a problem with your Social Security number, account, or benefits, including identity theft. The caller may threaten arrest or other legal action or offer to increase benefits, protect your assets, or repair identity theft if you make the payment using a gift card, cash, bank transfer, internet currency such as Bitcoin or a prepaid debit card. The number one phone fraud reported to the Federal Trade Commission is the threat that your Social Security number will be suspended or your benefits will end. “All your benefits will be canceled pending further releases,” he said in another call. “If you think it`s due to an error, you can contact the legal department… Robocalls look like this: “There is a lawsuit on your Social Security number for criminal activity, so if you receive this message, please return to our 516 number as soon as possible. before taking legal action. SSA OIG cannot provide you with information about actions taken as a result of reports. Threatening calls that make you believe your Social Security number and benefits are at risk are on the rise. An ABC7 eyewitness news producer received a dozen in a single day.
The message asks you to call them back or they will take “legal action” against you. When you call, they will try to trick you into “verifying” or “verifying” your Social Security number. Never give out your Social Security number over the phone, not even the last four digits. The FTC said it has received 73,000 complaints about Social Security fraudsters since January. Federal regulations do not allow information to be shared in law enforcement records, even with the person who created the report. Identity theft occurs when someone illegally uses your personal information to commit fraud. Someone using your SSN illegally and impersonating you can cause a lot of trouble. But there are several things you should do to prevent identity theft: Or you might be led to think that your Social Security number is disappearing because the calls claim, “In case we haven`t heard from you, your social media will be permanently blocked.” Scammers convince frightened victims to send money via bank transfer or gift card. The downside is that it is supposed to “reactivate” or “delete” a social security number from so-called “criminal activity.” The OIG offers 10 tips for protecting personal data and outlines various steps to take if you suspect identity theft.
“There are enforcement actions filed on your Social Security number that involve fraudulent activity,” the pre-recorded message said as a passerby answered his phone. Be careful! It`s important to be wary of scammers who pretend to be out of Social Security. Reports of fraudulent calls from people claiming to belong to our agency continue to increase. To learn more about scams, visit Protect Yourself from Social Security Scams. Federal law also prohibits the unauthorized reproduction and sale of SSA forms and publications, and limits charging for services offered free of charge by Social Security, regardless of any disclaimer of affiliation with the U.S. government or federal agency. Visit our OIG Investigations page for a list of recent fraud investigations. If there is a problem, we will send you a letter. In general, we will only contact you if you have requested an appeal or have ongoing business with us.
The latest scam trick in using robocalls or live calls has increased. The scammers pretend to be government employees and claim that there is identity theft or some other problem with the Social Security Number (SSN), account or benefits. Article 1140 of the Social Security Act prohibits individuals, enterprises and other organizations from misleading consumers by creating a false impression of official social security affiliation or approval by social security when recruiting or communicating with the public. 3. Spelling and grammatical errors: If the caller follows emails containing fake letters or reports that appear to come from the SSA or the SSA Office of the Inspector General, investigate carefully. Letters may use government jargon or letterhead that sounds official to convince victims, but they may also contain spelling mistakes and grammatical errors. In reply to Here is another number to add by Robun. In response, I received that of aintskeerd.
HOUSTON — The coronavirus pandemic has paralyzed many surgeries, but there`s actually one we all wanted to make go away: those fraudulent calls that supposedly came from the Social Security Administration. However, like a stubborn weed, they keep coming back. Calls decreased from March to the end of July, but in recent weeks people have started to pick them up. If you believe you have been a victim of Social Security fraud, report it immediately to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) in FTC.gov/complaint and the SSA Office of Inspector General Fraud in oig.ssa.gov. The Inspector General`s Office of Social Insurance has established a complaint form to collect information on appeals. You can also call the same office at 1-800-269-0271. You want to know things like the number the scammers asked you to call and how the caller identified himself. When these details are collected from thousands or millions of people, they can help investigators trace crimes back to the thieves. Scammers are aware that people continue their attempts, so they find new ways to convince Social Security recipients that their scams are legitimate.
Here`s what to look for to protect yourself and others from Social Security fraud. Government agencies will never ask you to transfer money or pay for anything with a gift card. If in doubt, hang up and check with the real agency.
