Have you gotten calls about supposed problems with your Social Security number from callers pretending they’re with the Social Security Administration (SSA)? If so, you’re not alone. Our latest Data Spotlight finds that reports about SSA imposters are surging, while reports about IRS imposters have taken a dive.
As the Spotlight puts it, “In the shady world of government imposters, the SSA scam may be the new IRS scam.” While reports of SSA imposters have swelled – nearly half of the reports we’ve gotten in the last year have come in the past two months alone – reports of IRS scammers have plunged. What’s more, people told us they lost $19 million to SSA imposters in the past year. That overtakes the $17 million reported lost to IRS imposters in 2016, the peak year of the IRS scam.
How can you spot SSA imposters? They often use robocalls to reach you, then launch into a story aimed at tricking you into giving them your money, your Social Security number (SSN), or both. They may say your SSN has been suspended and you need to confirm your SSN to reactivate it. Or, they may say your SSN has been involved in a crime and your bank account is about to be seized or frozen, but you can protect your money if you put it on a gift card and give them the code. Never do that – your money will disappear.
If you get one of these calls, remember – the real SSA will never contact you out of the blue or tell you to put money on a gift card or, for that matter, visit a Bitcoin ATM, or wire money. If your caller ID shows a number that looks like it belongs to the SSA, don’t trust the number – scammers fake their caller ID all the time. If you’re worried, hang up and call the SSA yourself at 1-800-772-1213.
Check out the Data Spotlight for more information. If you think a scammer has your Social Security number, visit IdentityTheft.gov/ssa to learn what you can do.
In reply to Why can they take the money by Cupcake's Mom
In reply to Why can they take the money by Cupcake's Mom
In reply to Why can they take the money by Cupcake's Mom
In reply to Why can they take the money by Cupcake's Mom
In reply to Just got a call from SSA by One-who-doesn'…
In reply to Just got a call from SSA by One-who-doesn'…
In reply to Just got a call from SSA by One-who-doesn'…
In reply to 817-659-0746 and 830-212-7141 by pj4035
In reply to Just got a call from SSA by One-who-doesn'…
In reply to Just got a call from SSA by One-who-doesn'…
In reply to I have had 3 phone calls 30 by Mystery Lady
In reply to Just got a call from SSA by One-who-doesn'…
In reply to I got 25 calls 4/11/19 by Fedup
In reply to Yep got the same thing. 10 by PhonySSA
In reply to 1-800-805-3522 Fraud calls by jdb14134
In reply to I initially gave my SS# then by fool me once
This page on www.IdentityTheft.gov has tips on what to do if your information is exposed to a scammer. It explains what to do depending on the type of information that was exposed.
In reply to Yep got the same thing. 10 by PhonySSA
In reply to I got 25 calls 4/11/19 by Fedup
In reply to I got 5 of these calls today by 5 calls in apr…
In reply to I got 25 calls 4/11/19 by Fedup
In reply to just got three calls in a row by lkdam
In reply to I got 25 calls 4/11/19 by Fedup
In reply to What if you were to say to by P.J.
In reply to I have received several calls by Star
In reply to I have gotten several calls by donotpush#1
Pagination