Frauds & Scams

Don’t Be a Scam Victim—You’re in Control

May 16, 2016 • By

Reading Time: 2 Minutes

Last Updated: June 30, 2021

IRSWith the tax season wrapping up, scammers are out in full force. Perhaps you received a phone call demanding payment from the IRS. They may threaten you with legal action if you do not pay immediately, or say things like, “we are sending the police to arrest you.” While these calls may seem scary, it is important to understand that they are not legitimate. This scam, which started in October 2013, has claimed over $29 million from its victims. Unfortunately, this is just one of many scams designed to make you believe you are speaking with a legitimate government official.

Scammers use many tactics in an attempt to force victims to give out information, and sometimes money, via telephone or email. In Social Security related scams, they often call under a guise of helping you complete a disability application, asking you for your Social Security number or banking information.

Whether they are with Social Security or the IRS, a government employee will never do some things as part of official agency business, including:

  • Call you to demand an immediate payment.
  • Demand that you pay a debt without the ability to appeal the amount you owe.
  • Require a specific means of payment, such as requiring you to pay with a prepaid debit card.
  • Ask you for your personal information or credit or debit card numbers over the phone.
  • Threaten you with arrest or deportation.

Any legitimate request from a government agency will come to you in writing. Additionally, if you do receive a call from a government official, they will be able to provide you with a telephone number and extension. If you receive one of these scam calls or emails, do not provide them with any information. You should:

  • Hang up immediately.
  • For Social Security impersonations, contact Social Security’s Office of Inspector General at https://oig.ssa.gov/report.
  • For IRS impersonations, contact the U.S. Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) at www.treasury.gov/tigta, using the “IRS Impersonation Scam Reporting” page.
  • Contact the Federal Trade Commission on FTC.gov.

If you are attempting to conduct business with any government agency, or you have received a notice from such an agency, please utilize the telephone numbers provided in the notification. Additionally, you can find contact information on any .gov website such as ssa.gov or irs.gov.

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About the Author

Doug Walker, Deputy Commissioner, Communications

Deputy Commissioner, Office of Communications

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Comments

  1. nex1

    Threaten you with arrest or deportation.
    http://nex1.ir/

  2. pankaj

    Thanks for sharing amazing stuff app valley for ios

  3. Jean. N.

    I am having letters from Medicare ……but the person that’s got my name and address it,’s fraud……l was not in usa December 30th. 2018…. please take care of this l live. U.K. …..

    • Pefra

      It is really a wonderful thing to be explored pifra check slip

  4. Linda V.

    A scammer called and repeated my ss# to me . Do I need to report it? Will some one contact me about this?

  5. Shadia u.

    I’m reporting phone scam for my social Security

    • V.V.

      Hi Shadia: If the caller is claiming to be from Social Security—it is critical that you pay attention to the tone and content of the message from the caller. In some cases, the caller states that Social Security does not have all of your personal information, such as your Social Security number (SSN), on file. Other callers claim Social Security needs additional information so the agency can increase your benefit payment, or they threaten that Social Security will terminate your benefits if they do not confirm your information. This appears to be a widespread issue, as reports have come from people across the country. These calls are not from Social Security.

      If you receive a call from someone claiming to be from Social Security, we urge you to always be cautious and to avoid providing sensitive information such as your SSN or bank account information. Never reveal personal data to a stranger who calls you, and never send the stranger money via wire transfer or gift cards.

      Social Security employees will never threaten you for information; they will not state that you face potential arrest or other legal action if you fail to provide information or pay a fee. In those cases, the call is fraudulent, and you should just hang up. If you receive these calls, report the information to the Office of the Inspector General at 1-800-269-0271 or online at oig.ssa.gov/report.

  6. Diane C.

    I received a phone call today stating that there are issues with social security and I would not be getting any payments unless I reported it. The recording said to push 1 to talk to a person and I hung up. The phone number associated with this call is 1-800-777-2151.

  7. William E.

    The reason that I am writing is because on Thursday 1-31-2019 I received a voice massage that went something like this. The reason that you have received this phone call from our department is to in form you that there legal enforcement actions filed against you and your social security number, being suspected of fraudulent activity. So once you get this message kindly call us back at our number 818-459-6578 thank you.
    The message sounded like a robo call.
    Sounds like a scam to me !!

  8. Robert Z.

    1-980-221-1556 Medical Supply
    Was contacted by someone at the above number. Giving away DNA kit. No cost. The people speaking to me were very heavily accented…difficult to understand. I was asked if I had a new card with the new identification on it. I told them I had the new type card. They asked for the ID. I said no and they hung up.

  9. Nancy K.

    I am receiving telephone messages from a “SSA” office informing me that my Social Security is being suspended and I need to contact a telephone number that is not listed on any of the information I have on Social Security.
    I did not contact the number but I wanted to be sure my account is not suspended . I have tried to contact the
    l-800-772-1213 office which is has various contacts but not one seems to be the proper place .

    Please can you help– where can I call? write? review?

  10. crystal m.

    Social Security called me today saying my number have to be suspended because of suspicious activatiy

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