Chief’s Column: That call seeking your Social Security number is a scam

If you received a call, live or recorded, from an “investigator” stating that your Social Security number has been suspended because of criminal activity and a warrant for your arrest will be issued if you do not call the number given, HANG UP!!! It’s a scam. Many people have been receiving these calls recently and we want to ensure that no one falls prey to this attempt to steal your identity. To ensure you do not become a victim of Social Security scams, we would like to offer this information provided by AARP.

Social Security Scams

Social Security numbers are the skeleton key to identity theft. And what better way to get someone’s Social Security number than by pretending to be from Social Security?

It’s a lesson that fraudsters have learned well. Social Security scams are a common form of a government impostor scam, in which crooks pose as government officials to get you to send money or give up personal and financial data for use in identity theft.

Have you seen this scam?

One common tactic involves fake Social Security Administration (SSA) employees calling people with warnings that their Social Security numbers have been linked to criminal activity and suspended. The scammers ask you to confirm your number so they can reactivate it or issue you a new one, for a fee. This is no emergency but a ploy to get money and personal data: Social Security does not block or suspend numbers, ever.

This con is sometimes executed via robocall – the recording provides a number for you to call to remedy the problem. In another version, the caller says your bank account is at risk due to the illicit activity and offers to help you keep it safe.

On the other hand, you might get a call from a supposed SSA representative bearing good news, say, a cost-of-living increase in your benefits. To get the extra money, you just have to verify your name, date of birth and Social Security number. Armed with those identifiers, scammers can effectively hijack your account, asking SSA to change the address, phone number and direct deposit information on your record and thus diverting your benefits.

With a little vigilance, Social Security scams are not difficult to identify and avoid.

Warning Signs

• You get an unsolicited call from someone claiming to work for SSA. Except in rare circumstances, you will not get a call from Social Security unless you have already been in contact with the agency.
• The caller asks for your Social Security number — again, something an actual SSA employee wouldn’t do.
• A call or email threatens consequences, such as arrest, loss of benefits or suspension of your Social Security number, if you do not provide a payment or personal information.

Do’s

• Do hang up if someone calls you out of the blue and claims to be from SSA.
• Do be skeptical if a caller claims to be from Social Security’s Office of the Inspector General. Scammers appropriate official-sounding and often actual government titles to make a ruse seem authentic.
• Do set up a My Social Security account online and check it on a monthly basis for signs of anything unusual, even if you have not yet started collecting benefits.
• Do install a robocall-blocking app on your smartphone, or sign up for a robocall-blocking service from your mobile network provider.

Don’ts

• Don’t call a phone number left on your voice mail by a robocaller. If you want to contact SSA, call the customer-service line at 800-772-1213.
• Don’t assume a call is legitimate because it appears to come from 800-772-1213. Scammers use “spoofing” technology to trick caller ID.
• Don’t give your Social Security number or other personal information to someone who contacts you by email. SSA never requests information that way.
• Don’t click links in purported SSA emails without checking them. Mouse over the link to reveal the actual destination address. The main part of the address should end with “.gov/” including the forward slash. If there’s anything between .gov and the slash, it’s fake.

More Resources

• You can call Social Security’s customer service line at 800-772-1213 to confirm whether a communication purporting to be from SSA is real.
• If you get an impostor call or email, report it to SSA using their detailed online form. You can also call Social Security’s Fraud Hotline at 800-269-0271.
• If your Social Security number has been stolen, file an identity theft report with the Federal Trade Commission, which can help you develop a recovery plan.

Normand A. Crepeau, Jr.

Chief of Police