Consumer Alert
Hang up on spoofed SSA calls
If you get a call that looks like it’s from the Social Security Administration (SSA), think twice. Scammers are spoofing SSA’s 1-800 customer service number to try to get your personal information. Spoofing means that scammers can call from anywhere, but they make your caller ID show a different number – often one that looks legit. Here are few things you should know about these so-called SSA calls.
These scam calls are happening across the nation, according to SSA: Your phone rings. Your caller ID shows that it’s the SSA calling from 1-800-772-1213. The caller says he works for the Social Security Administration and needs your personal information – like your Social Security number – to increase your benefits payments. (Or he threatens to cut off your benefits if you don’t give the information.) But it’s not really the Social Security Administration calling. Yes, it is the SSA’s real phone number, but the scammers on the phone are spoofing the number to make the call look real.
What can you do if you get one of these calls? Hang up. Remember:
• SSA will not threaten you. Real SSA employees will never threaten you to get personal information. They also won’t promise to increase your benefits in exchange for information. If they do, it’s a scam.
• If you have any doubt, hang up and call SSA directly. Call 1-800-772-1213 – that really is the phone number for the Social Security Administration. If you dial that number, you know who you’re getting. But remember that you can’t trust caller ID. If a call comes in from that number, you can’t be sure it’s really SSA calling.
• If you get a spoofed call, report it. If someone calls, claiming to be from SSA and asking for information like your Social Security number, report it to SSA’s Office of Inspector General at 1-800-269-0271 or https://oig.ssa.gov/report. You can also report these calls to the FTC at ftc.gov/complaint.
For more tips, check out the FTC’s How to Stop Unwanted Calls and Government Imposter Scams. If you think someone has misused your personal information, go to IdentityTheft.gov to report identity theft and find out what steps to take.
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December 18, 2018
Currently a national embarrassment, scams calls and emails are choking too many American's. It's time to take our lives back and seize the bank accounts associated with these crooks and hoodlums. Wink wink US Gov, go get them! Seems our government is so busy stopping the 'billions' of calls, they haven't notice over the last couple of years it's gotten far worse. Hi do you need our fantastic construction services? boom you just lost your bank account and went out of business. Or Hi, here is spam and a bank account to send your money to. Okay, zap, no more bank accounts for the criminals... , then it's no more scam calls or spam.
January 10, 2019
Hello i have been receiving these calls but have been ignoring them. they left messages that needed to call them at this number 5043223604. So my curiosity got the better of me, I called and this Asian female answers the phone her accent was thick, she continues to tell me that she is call from the Social Security Administration and that there have been suspicious activity with my social security and that today was the last day she could help me. And that this was the final call before my benefits and payments will be canceled.
when i asked her what suspicious activity she kept repeating herself. I heard a giggle in background
I told her that she was not getting my info and that was calling the SSA and she hung up.
January 16, 2019
We have a call blocking device but it doesn’t seem to work on all numbers. Lately, we have been receiving calls (several each day) where the first sentence of the recorded message is “Don’t hang up”. Even though they route the call so it seems to be originating within our area code, it is a scam call and should be reported.
(518) 652-5238.
February 08, 2019
This number is being used as a scam: 516-360-9677 by spoofing the SSA number. Someone called and left a message(I don't answer numbers I don't recognize) saying there is a serious allegation from the drug enforcement agency and police dept but then said to call this number(516-360-9677) to speak to "social security administration department".
February 18, 2019
My mom got hit with this on January 29, 2019. She started freaking out and I told that it was BS and it was a scam. A robot actually left a voicemail telling her to call "on our number that is 209-813-0462" The robots name was Ryan Smith. The voicemail was "This is Ryan Smith calling you from the Department of Social Security Administration. The reason you have received this phone call from our department, is to inform you that there's a legal enforcement action on your social security number for criminal activity. So when you get this message, kindly call us as soon as possible on our number that is 209-813-0462, I repeat 209-813-0462 before we begin with the legal proceedings. Thank you."
February 21, 2019
I have been getting the same message every time, that I will be charged with fraud and to call the SSA back to stop this from going to court. The call back phone number given are different on these calls.
602-529-3498
206-316-2516
484-272-2425
410-983-6033
They call over and over.
February 21, 2019
I got a call from your number saying i was getting a $90 increase but they needed information from me before i could get it. I hung up on them.. I hope it wasn't you..
March 08, 2019
we just got a call that stated they are from SSA and that my number is lost and something is incorrect. Caller ID showed the real SSA number 1-800-772-1213. I hung up on them.
April 06, 2019
The telco companies dont care, they make money on every call that is answered. There is no way they want this stopped..
April 10, 2019
Got a call 4-10-19 from 1-800-108-1213 claiming to be the social security administration and there was a huge problem. I took the call, got a human guy on the phone by pressing 1 (I wanted to hear their pitch), then he said he was with the SSA and asked my name. I said I don't believe you are really with the SSA and he hung up on me. Heavy accent.
April 17, 2019
1-800-018-1213
Another fake number calling from social security
May 14, 2019
The ssa says to report them in some way or another. So if you do what good does it do? What is anyone going to do about it ? I have had several calls from them some texts claiming my ss# has been comprimised etc.
June 27, 2019
Two numbers 1-800-325-0778 (supposedly TDDY) and alternative 1-800-772-1213. Said to call, give last 4 of SSN or "forced to issue a warrant for arrest."
August 12, 2019
Just had a call from a spoofed Amazon number. Said that a $750 charge had been made to my account - press One if this is incorrect. I hung up. Checked the Caller ID number and it is legit. Called the number and spoke with Amazon rep. No such charge. I do not have a financial account at Amazon.
August 13, 2019
I just received two calls from 800-772-3062/2564... non English speaking woman asked me to verify my name then hung up the call
October 02, 2019
221-748-9632 another scam