Probably not. At least, not from the real SSA. But how many of you have gotten calls from someone who said they were the Social Security Administration? And maybe showed the real SSA phone number (1-800-772-1213) or a number close to it on your caller ID? Lots, right?
We’ve seen a spike in the number of people reporting those fake SSA calls to us. Since January 2018, we’ve gotten more than 63,000 reports of this scam. Three percent of those people reported a loss – and they lost $16.6 million (with a median loss of $1,484).
You can hear what the scam sounds like here. The caller usually says your Social Security number (SSN) has been suspended because of suspicious activity, or because it’s been involved in a crime. Sometimes, the scammer wants you to confirm your SSN to reactivate it. Sometimes, he says your bank account is about to be seized – but if you go put your money on gift cards and then give him the codes, SSA can help keep it safe. (Of course, you never want to do that, because then your money is just gone.)
To report this scam, go to ftc.gov/complaint. But if you already gave one of these callers your SSN and you're worried about identity theft, visit IdentityTheft.gov/ssa. And if you get one of these calls, remember:
- Your Social Security number is not about to be suspended. Your bank account is not about to be seized.
- The real SSA will never call to threaten your benefits or tell you to wire money, send cash, or put money on gift cards.
- You can’t believe the numbers on your caller ID. Scammers can easily fake those. But if you’re worried, call the real SSA at 1-800-772-1213. You can trust that number if you dial it yourself – just not on your caller ID.
- Never give your SSN, credit card or bank account number to anyone who contacts you. Ever.
To hear more from the honest-to-goodness SSA and the FTC about these scams, follow the Facebook Live at noon tomorrow on the SSA’s Facebook page.
To read a version of this blog post in Tagalog, click here.
Upang mabasa ang bersyon ng blog post na ito sa Tagalog, mag-click dito.
To read a version of this blog post in Korean, click here.
이 블로그 포스트를 한국어로 보시려면 여기를 클릭하세요.
To read a version of this blog post in Traditional Chinese, click here.
如需閱讀此篇博客的繁體中文版,請點擊這裡。
To read a version of this blog post in Simplified Chinese, click here.
如需阅读此篇博客的简体中文版,请点击这里。
It is your choice whether to submit a comment. If you do, you must create a user name, or we will not post your comment. The Federal Trade Commission Act authorizes this information collection for purposes of managing online comments. Comments and user names are part of the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) public records system, and user names also are part of the FTC’s computer user records system. We may routinely use these records as described in the FTC’s Privacy Act system notices. For more information on how the FTC handles information that we collect, please read our privacy policy.
The purpose of this blog and its comments section is to inform readers about Federal Trade Commission activity, and share information to help them avoid, report, and recover from fraud, scams, and bad business practices. Your thoughts, ideas, and concerns are welcome, and we encourage comments. But keep in mind, this is a moderated blog. We review all comments before they are posted, and we won’t post comments that don’t comply with our commenting policy. We expect commenters to treat each other and the blog writers with respect.
We don't edit comments to remove objectionable content, so please ensure that your comment contains none of the above. The comments posted on this blog become part of the public domain. To protect your privacy and the privacy of other people, please do not include personal information. Opinions in comments that appear in this blog belong to the individuals who expressed them. They do not belong to or represent views of the Federal Trade Commission.
In reply to I have gotten calls using my by lucy
In reply to I have been receiving three by bosco
In reply to I received a call yesterday by jeannieguzman3
In reply to I got a voice message from by bsen
In reply to I’ve gotten 6 of the same by Sir
In reply to Same as the rest of posts. by annoyed
In reply to I have getting those calls by Rika
In reply to (800) 983-4694 is a robocall by NotAVictim
In reply to Same as the rest of posts. by annoyed
In reply to Same as the rest of posts. by annoyed
In reply to Same as the rest of posts. by annoyed
In reply to I received a call yesterday by jeannieguzman3
In reply to i recieved a call also by jose
In reply to I received a call yesterday by jeannieguzman3
In reply to Jeannie, Although its been by ThruMyiz
The number she included with her comment has 10 digits; it's probably the phone number of the people who called her.
In reply to Jeannie, Although its been by ThruMyiz
In reply to I have been receiving three by bosco
In reply to I have been receiving three by bosco
In reply to I have been receiving three by bosco
In reply to I have gotten calls using my by lucy
In reply to I just received a call from 1 by Medfly64
In reply to I just received a call from 1 by Medfly64
In reply to I got the same call just by Phoenix
In reply to I just got the call also. by Fox jim
In reply to I just received a call from 1 by Medfly64
In reply to I just received a call from 1 by Medfly64
In reply to I just received a call from 1 by Medfly64
In reply to I have gotten calls using my by lucy
In reply to 888-810-0733 SOCIAL SECURITY by STUPIDS
In reply to 888-810-0733 SOCIAL SECURITY by STUPIDS
In reply to I got it and the number was by Kim
In reply to Here’s another number to add by Robun
In reply to I have gotten calls using my by lucy
In reply to I have gotten calls using my by lucy
In reply to I have been receiving the by aintskeerd
In reply to I just got a voicemail saying by riderboy13
In reply to I have been receiving the by aintskeerd
In reply to I just got the same thing by Heavy
In reply to Same here, number is 877-832 by California resident
In reply to Yes I received the same type by North Carolina…
In reply to Yes I received the same type by North Carolina…
In reply to I just got the same thing by Heavy
In reply to I just got the same thing by Heavy
In reply to I have been receiving the by aintskeerd
In reply to I have been receiving the by aintskeerd
In reply to I have been receiving the by aintskeerd
In reply to I have been receiving the by aintskeerd
In reply to Just got this same call 4 by Rubyblonde
In reply to I have been receiving the by aintskeerd
Pagination