Consumer Alert
Scammers impersonate the Social Security Administration
Your Social Security number is an important key for an identity thief. Scammers want it, and they think of all sorts of ways to trick you into giving it away.
Here at the Federal Trade Commission, we’re getting reports about calls from scammers claiming to be from the Social Security Administration. They say there’s been a computer problem, and they need to confirm your Social Security number.
Other people have told us that they have come across spoof websites that look like the place where you would apply for a new Social Security card – but these websites are actually a setup to steal your personal information.
If you get a phone call or are directed to a website other than ssa.gov that is claiming to be associated with the Social Security Administration, don’t respond. It’s most likely a scam.
Here’s some tips to deal with these government imposters:
- Don’t give the caller your information. Never give out or confirm sensitive information – like your bank account, credit card, or Social Security number – unless you know who you’re dealing with. If someone has contacted you, you can’t be sure who they are.
- Don’t trust a name or number. Con artists use official-sounding names to make you trust them. To make their call seem legitimate, scammers use internet technology to spoof their area code – so although it may seem they are calling from Washington, DC, they could be calling from anywhere in the world.
- Check with the Social Security Administration. The SSA has a warning about these scams and suggests you contact them directly at 1-800-772-1213 to verify the reason for the contact and the person’s identity prior to providing any information to the caller.
If you come across one of these scams, please report it to the Social Security Administration’s Fraud Hotline at 1-800-269-0271, or 1-866-501-2101(TTY), and then tell the FTC about it.
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In reply to I got 2 calls like this today by Panda Bear
In reply to I RECEIVED A CALL FROM by IRRITATED
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In reply to I WISH WE COULD MAKE THIS by tappydog
You have put an incorrect phone# on your site, this is a sign of a scammer. 1-800-772-121?
In reply to You have put an incorrect by Elisabeth
We corrected the text: The SSA has a warning about these scams and suggests you contact them directly at 1-800-772-1213.
In reply to We corrected the text: The by FTC Staff
In reply to We corrected the text: The by FTC Staff
In reply to You have put an incorrect by Elisabeth
In reply to Your paragraph "check with... by DonD
We corrected the text: The SSA has a warning about these scams and suggests you contact them directly at 1-800-772-1213.
You left a digit out of phone number 800-772-121.
In reply to You left a digit out of phone by encantoman2
We corrected the text: The SSA has a warning about these scams and suggests you contact them directly at 1-800-772-1213.
In reply to I work with Seniors in a by Eileen
Eileen, We don't have staff right now to do that, but we do have free material you can order and share with people. There's a set of material for older adults called the Pass It On material. There are fact sheets and other items about IRS imposters, charity fraud, online tech support scams and much more. Shop and order free material at FTC.gov/bulkorder.
And, the Pass It On campaign page has brief power point presentations and fun activities (word scrambles, word search, etc) to go along, if you'd like to give a short talk.
If you have questions, write to BlogInfo@ftc.gov. Thanks!
In reply to Eileen, We don't have staff by FTC Staff
In reply to I work with Seniors in a by Eileen
In reply to I work with Seniors in a by Eileen
A lot is going on with the call centers,e.g. mail order rx,call centers are demanding credit card information,meds are being tampered with. Scams are taking place with phone card providers,abuse with credit cards to different providers..eg place an order withb"ebay",Someone else will ship a partial order from "eg amazon" and charge your credit card $99/fee..
In reply to Thanks for the warnings! by teejay363