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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.

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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 won’t post off-topic comments, repeated identical comments, or comments that include sales pitches or promotions.
  • We won’t post comments that include vulgar messages, personal attacks by name, or offensive terms that target specific people or groups.
  • We won’t post threats, defamatory statements, or suggestions or encouragement of illegal activity.
  • We won’t post comments that include personal information, like Social Security numbers, account numbers, home addresses, and email addresses. To file a detailed report about a scam, go to ReportFraud.ftc.gov.

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.

HPMillennial
March 17, 2021
This is the call I received, and I am currently unsure why there is a spike in these type of calls. This is the transcript my my phone picked up, "for the administration legal department the reason of it's message is to inform you that antacid department is filing lawsuit against you in a rest more it has been released on your name due to legal important actions filed on your social security number for fraudulent activities to get more information about this case file from federal data base press one and speak to our agent now" Very strange.
SamWilson
March 18, 2021
I got a call from someone saying he is from the social security investigations department based out of San Antonio, Tx. +1 713 732 5862
Tired of the s…
March 23, 2021
I got a call today from this number 1 - 203 - 592-2276 stating my SS Number was involved in suspicious activity in Texas and was about to be suspended.
Pete
April 01, 2021
Beware of this number:908-461-6328! The person who claims to be the investigator is impersenating the Inspector General,who happens to be Mr.Joseph Gangloff.
DonVIVIAN L WH…
April 14, 2021
I GOT A FAKE CALL TODAY SAYING THEY WERE FROM SOC.SEC. THEY TOLD ME IF I DIDN'T RESPOND MY SOC. SEC. NUMBER WOULD BE SUSPENDED PERMANTLY
GotScammed!
June 09, 2021
My boyfriend got a call today 06/9/21 from phone #262-267-6700, man on phone said his name was Benjamin Alfres and his ID was FSSA 20192, case # 7010, Warrant # 5537542. Was told his SS# was used to purchase a rental car down in South TX and not it was involved with illegal drugs etc... Scammer unfortunately got a good amout of identifiable info from my boyfriend. We hope nothing bad comes of this with any ID theft. Please people DONT FALL FOR THIS!!!!!
UtahDude
July 07, 2021
I got a call today from 801-781-5263 with the message about my SS number has been linked to fraudulent activity and to press 1 to speak to an officer. Hate these scammers.
Joey
July 13, 2021
+1 (210) 940-7002 Spamming
BARB
July 20, 2021
I RECEIVED A CALL JULY 20TH 2021 AT 12:51 PM FROM A NUMBER 254-720-0463 GORDON, TX AND WHEN I PICKED UP IT WAS AN AUTOMATED SYSTEM STATING THAT I MISSED THEIR CALL AND TO CALL THEM BACK AT THAT PHONE NUMBER. I CALLED BACK TO SEE WHO IT WAS. THEY STATED SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATION, I HUNG UP. PLEASE BE SAFE. SOCIAL SECURITY WOULD NEVER CALL YOUR PHONE THEY SEND LETTERS!
Do NOT Confirm…
August 24, 2021
Got a robo call at work.....it stated they were calling from the Social Security Office and they were suspending my social security # and that I would be arrested. It said to stay on the line to speak to an officer. Which of course I did. The person didn't speak clear English and I just started raising my voice about they were calling a place of business, they are a scam, stop calling people and scamming them. They aren't the SSA and no one is going to be arrested. He kept talking and eventually hung up. This needs to STOP!
Do NOT Confirm…
August 24, 2021
Oh and the # they were calling from was 602-314-6937. SSA will NEVER call you and state they are suspending your SS# and you cannot be arrested for using your own???
rwestly
September 16, 2021
recieved a call yesterday from a robot that said there was an outstanding warrant out for my arrest through the social security admin. told me to wait on the line. went on to a lady who requested a case number. i said what the hell is this? she hungup 740-425-2385
DF, Washington State
September 17, 2021
Voicemail: "Security Administration, the reason you have received this phone call from our department is to inform you that there is a legal enforcement actions filed on your social security number for fraudulent activities. So when you get this message kindly call back at the earliest possible on our number before we begin with the legal proceedings that is 254-326-5980. Thank you."
just my luck
September 21, 2021
I got a call and wasnt sure what to believe but at the moment of the conversation I believed . both calls 4698377445 2543317323
Texas Girl
September 22, 2021
Same thing happened to me. 1-210-224-1500 is the number that called. I asked how do I know this is the Social Security Office the female on the other end says she should have to explain she is with the Social Security Office. HA HA - what a scam
Theveryannoyed…
October 12, 2021
I got this phone call this morning unfortunately the number that called me is spoofed but it’s frustrating it’s 2021 and it’s still going on. Thankfully my cell said potential scam and I let me voicemail catch the message. Here’s the spoofed number +148697293507 it’s spoofed it has too many digits to be real.
RR1
October 19, 2021
Voicemail message received today (beginning of message was cut off): "...from our department is to inform you that there's a legal enforcement action filed on your social security number for fraudulent activity. So, when you get this message, kindly call back at the earliest possible on your number before we begin with the legal proceedings, that is 916-790-2295. Thank you."
casa2601
December 02, 2021
My mother received a phone call from 703 504 6098 and she is elderly and she said they asked a lots of questions I was wondering if this phone # is legitimate from Social Security office