Beware of Social Security Scams
Reading Time: 2 MinutesLast Updated: June 30, 2021
Social Security phone scams are the #1 type of fraud reported to the Federal Trade Commission and Social Security. Over the past year, these scams—misleading victims into making cash or gift card payments to avoid arrest for Social Security number problems—have skyrocketed. Social Security encourages you to use the new online form to report Social Security phone scams to disrupt the scammers and help us reduce this type of fraud, and reduce the number of victims.
“We are taking action to raise awareness and prevent scammers from harming Americans,” said Andrew Saul, Commissioner of Social Security. “I am deeply troubled that our country has not been able to stop these crooks from deceiving some of the most vulnerable members of our society.”
Social Security employees will occasionally contact you by telephone or mail for business purposes if you have ongoing business with the agency. However, Social Security employees will not:
- Tell you that your Social Security number has been suspended.
- Contact you to demand an immediate payment.
- Ask you for credit or debit card numbers over the phone.
- Require a specific means of debt repayment, like a prepaid debit card, a retail gift card, or cash.
- Demand that you pay a Social Security debt without the ability to appeal the amount you owe.
- Promise a Social Security benefit approval, or increase, in exchange for information or money.
Remember that Social Security employees will never threaten you. If there’s a problem with your Social Security record, Social Security will mail you a letter. If Social Security needs you to submit payments, the agency will provide instructions in the letter, including options to make those payments.
“Awareness is our best hope to thwart the scammers,” said Gail Ennis, Inspector General for Social Security. “Tell your friends and family about them and report them to us when you receive them, but most importantly, just hang up and ignore the calls.”
You can learn more on our press release.
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Mike Korbey, Deputy Commissioner for Communications
Mike Korbey, Deputy Commissioner for Communications
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lesly f.
happy thanksgiving all !!!!!!!!!!
Aqiqah B.
Aqiqah Bandung Al Hilal merupakan solusi terbaik Anda ketika tidak ingin repot mencari kambing yang sehat dan berkualitas untuk ibadah aqiqah.
Gregg M.
Scam phone call from 866-243-0393 saying my SSN was flagged by the FBI.
L.A.
Hi Gregg. Thanks for letting us know. Generally, we will only contact you if you have requested a call or have ongoing business with us. Recently, scams—misleading victims into making cash or gift card payments to avoid arrest for Social Security number problems—have skyrocketed. Our employees will never threaten you for information or promise a benefit in exchange for personal information or money.
If you receive a suspicious call like this: 1) Hang up. 2) Do not provide personal information, money, or retail gift cards. 3) Report suspicious calls here. For more information on how to protect yourself, check out our Frequently Asked Questions. We hope this helps.
Joseph L.
We received a scam call today (11/27/2019) around 1:30 pm Eastern Time from a 1-800-654-4283 phone #. The call threatened to suspend all Social Security Benefits and offered me to talk with an agency officer. Of course I hung up the phone at that point.
L.A.
Hi Joseph. Thanks for letting us know. Generally, we will only contact you if you have requested a call or have ongoing business with us. Recently, scams—misleading victims into making cash or gift card payments to avoid arrest for Social Security number problems—have skyrocketed. Our employees will never threaten you for information or promise a benefit in exchange for personal information or money.
If you receive a suspicious call like this: 1) Hang up. 2) Do not provide personal information, money, or retail gift cards. 3) Report suspicious calls here. For more information on how to protect yourself, check out our Frequently Asked Questions. We hope this helps.
Maeve M.
I just received a SCAM CALL on my personal cell phone and I work at The Arc of Bergen and Passaic Counties.
Here is the number that it came from 800-208-9313.
Hopefully it can be reported and stopped. I am so concerned about the clients and families that we serve that they do not become victims of this.
L.A.
Hi Maeve. Thanks for letting us know. Generally, we will only contact you if you have requested a call or have ongoing business with us. Recently, scams—misleading victims into making cash or gift card payments to avoid arrest for Social Security number problems—have skyrocketed. Our employees will never threaten you for information or promise a benefit in exchange for personal information or money.
If you receive a suspicious call like this: 1) Hang up. 2) Do not provide personal information, money, or retail gift cards. 3) Report suspicious calls here. For more information on how to protect yourself, check out our Frequently Asked Questions. We hope this helps.
Cheryl R.
I just received a call from Social Security about an affidavit filed against my SS#. It was from San Antonio,Texas. The number is 1-210-742-3925. I blocked it because I knew it was a scam. SSA will only send correspondence through the mail. I am not sure who to report it to but I hope someone reads this and it can help someone else.
L.A.
Hi Cheryl. Thanks for letting us know. Generally, we will only contact you if you have requested a call or have ongoing business with us. Recently, scams—misleading victims into making cash or gift card payments to avoid arrest for Social Security number problems—have skyrocketed. Our employees will never threaten you for information or promise a benefit in exchange for personal information or money.
If you receive a suspicious call like this: 1) Hang up. 2) Do not provide personal information, money, or retail gift cards. 3) Report suspicious calls here. For more information on how to protect yourself, check out our Frequently Asked Questions. We hope this helps.
D H.
Anyone scamming someone else should never be allowed to collect Soc. Sec. of their own. Thank you
Barbara W.
I keep getting numerous phone calls and voicemails, saying my social security number is being blocked, because it is Inked to a criminal fraud case. The calls are to frequent to be professional. When I say i won’t give information on the phone, they hang up and call again. The number is coming from an Unknown caller.
1-866-241-3315 Thank you
L.A.
Hi Barbara. Thanks for letting us know. Generally, we will only contact you if you have requested a call or have ongoing business with us. Recently, scams—misleading victims into making cash or gift card payments to avoid arrest for Social Security number problems—have skyrocketed. Our employees will never threaten you for information or promise a benefit in exchange for personal information or money.
If you receive a suspicious call like this: 1) Hang up. 2) Do not provide personal information, money, or retail gift cards. 3) Report suspicious calls here. For more information on how to protect yourself, check out our Frequently Asked Questions. We hope this helps.
Jaqueline S.
I just received a phone call from a person who said he was calling from the social security administration about identity theft. The more he talked the more I thought that this was not from the true social security administration because you do not call people but contact through the mail. He had given his phone # on my answering system which I had called to find out what this was about. I’m reporting to you because I think this is a scammer. His phone # is 903-361-6270. The man spoke in a broken foreign accent.
L.A.
Hi Jacqueline. Thanks for letting us know. Generally, we will only contact you if you have requested a call or have ongoing business with us. Recently, scams—misleading victims into making cash or gift card payments to avoid arrest for Social Security number problems—have skyrocketed. Our employees will never threaten you for information or promise a benefit in exchange for personal information or money.
If you receive a suspicious call like this: 1) Hang up. 2) Do not provide personal information, money, or retail gift cards. 3) Report suspicious calls here. For more information on how to protect yourself, check out our Frequently Asked Questions. We hope this helps.
Anthony M.
It seems that communications technology is too fast for the U.S. agencies to keep up with. I don’t know many people who have NOT received these fraudulent calls- and yet, other that offering the whole population a means to report these acts, you offer an online method of reporting- do you really believe that the most vulnerable part of our population (the elderly) are all hooked up to the internet- let alone even owning a pc? With such a high-tech government that has the ability to eliminate the world’s population with weapons of mass destruction, wouldn’t you think that the FCC and other agencies, working together, could catch these criminals and put them somewhere where they can do no harm.