Frauds & Scams, Guest Bloggers

Inspector General Warns Public about Phone Calls from OIG “Imposters”

March 6, 2017 • By

Reading Time: 2 Minutes

Last Updated: August 19, 2021

woman looking at cell phone The Acting Inspector General of Social Security, Gale Stallworth Stone, is warning citizens about a nationwide telephone “imposter phishing” scheme. The Social Security Administration (SSA) and its Office of the Inspector General (OIG) have received several reports from citizens across the country about persons receiving phone calls from individuals posing as OIG investigators. The caller indicates an issue exists pertaining to the person’s Social Security account or Social Security number (SSN) and directs the person call a non-SSA telephone number to address the issue.

The reports indicate the calls include a recording from a caller stating she is “Nancy Jones,” an “officer with the Inspector General of Social Security.” The recording goes on to say the person’s Social Security account, SSN, and/or benefits are suspended, and that he or she should call 806-680-2373 to resolve the issue. Citizens should be aware that the scheme’s details may vary; however, citizens should avoid calling the number provided, as the unknown caller might attempt to acquire personal information.

OIG investigators occasionally contact citizens by telephone for investigative purposes, but they will not request sensitive personal information from a citizen over the phone. If a person receives a similar suspicious call from someone alleging to be from the OIG, citizens may report that information to the OIG at 1-800-269-0271 or online via https://oig.ssa.gov/report.

Acting Inspector General Stone said, “This phishing scheme is targeting unsuspecting persons for the purpose of Social Security benefit theft or identity theft.” She warns citizens to be cautious, and to avoid providing personal information such as your SSN or bank account numbers to unknown persons over the phone or internet unless you are certain of who is receiving it. “You must be very confident that the source is the correct business party, and that your information will be secure after you release it,” Stone said.

If a person has questions about any communication—email, letter, text or phone call—that claims to be from SSA or the OIG, please contact your local Social Security office, or call Social Security’s toll-free customer service number at 1-800-772-1213, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., Monday through Friday, to verify its legitimacy. (Those who are deaf or hard-of-hearing can call Social Security’s TTY number at 1-800-325-0778.)

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About the Author

Andrew Cannarsa, OIG Communications Director

Andrew Cannarsa, OIG Communications Director

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Comments

  1. gene S.

    6039685189. Someone’s been calling me from this number saying my ssi account number is going to be removed by ssi because of ssi fraudulent activity. They make multiple calls a day throughout the week. Please investigate for fraudulent scam activity.

    • V.V.

      Hi Gene, thank you for checking in with us. Unfortunately there are some Social Security impersonation schemes that we are warning citizens about.

      If you have questions about any communication — email, letter, text or phone call — that claims to be from SSA, please contact your local Social Security office, or call Social Security’s toll-free customer service number at 1-800-772-1213, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., Monday through Friday, to verify its legitimacy (TTY number at 1-800-325-0778). You may also report the information to the OIG at 1-800-269-0271 or online via https://oig.ssa.gov/report.

  2. Surendra G.

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  3. Karen M.

    Received call from man claiming to be agent, badge number SSA9165. Claimed action was being taken against me and if I did not reply to #509-228-8971, I would be arrested.

  4. Hollie L.

    I have received 2 phone calls in a row that uses the 1-800-772-1213 number as the ID number that shows up when receiving the call. However, they use 724-491-8723 as the number to call to inquire about my “soon to be suspended social security number” if I don’t call. They state I have several suspicious activities on my social security number and threaten that it will be suspended soon unless I call the number listed above. I feel this is fraud and needs to be reported.
    Thank you

  5. Sue

    Received a call from 2819682636 about fraudulent issues with my social security. Fact or fiction? I have not received anything else from SSI indicating any problems.

  6. marilyn t.

    Tried to call numbers given but apprehensive to give personal info over phone. Received a call saying from Social security saying my info is blocked because of possible someone trying to get my info and telling me to press 1 to get more info. I hung up, but thought I should tell someone at your office. Number was 1-800-385-0643. When I looked up on computer, it is possibly from China.

  7. BURTON B.

    received a call from “David” in the Blatimore office telling my wife thtt her DD number was no longer valid and she must apply for a new card . I thought that this was not a real call and hung up on him. When I tried the calling back, it was the authentic number.
    IS IT POSSIBLE THAT THIS WAS A LEGITAMATE CALL?

    • V.V.

      Hi Burton. If you have questions about any communication — email, letter, text or phone call — that claims to be from SSA, don’t call their number back, call Social Security’s toll-free customer service number at 1-800-772-1213, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., Monday through Friday, to verify its legitimacy (TTY number at 1-800-325-0778).

  8. Herbert L.

    We just received a social security fake phone call. The call was far more professional sounding than the typical IRS scam calls we had received in the past. It directed us to call 800-772-1213.

  9. STEVEN H.

    I KEEP RECEIVING A CALL FROM 1-707-574-8251 CLAIMING TO BE AN AGENT FOR THE SS AND I SHOULD CALL THEM OF FACE LEGAL ACTION

  10. Jeanne D.

    I received a call today which came up on my ID as the Social Security number 800-772-1213 I answered wondering why they were calling. Said his name was Joshua Brown, calling from Texas, and my SS number was compromised in Tx pertaining to a car rental. They had my name , birth date and asked for my ss number. I hung up and called Social Security to verify this, only to find out it was a scam…I m seriously thinking of changing my number., we must get at least 5 calls a day, but we just put our number with the nomorrobo list, its working but calls keep coming. Do they ever stop. Thanks

    • R.F.

      Thank you for sharing this information, Jeanne. Social Security Administration (SSA) employees occasionally contact citizens by telephone for customer-service purposes. An SSA employee may call you in limited situations, such as if you recently filed a claim or have other Social Security business that are pending. In only a few limited special situations, usually already known to the citizen, an SSA employee may request the citizen to confirm personal information over the phone.
      The Federal Trade Commission (FTC), which receives and analyzes public complaints related to identity theft, recently reported to the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) an increase in reports of suspicious phone calls from people claiming to be SSA employees.
      If a person receives a suspicious call from someone alleging to be from SSA, citizens may report that information to the OIG at 1-800-269-0271 or online via https://oig.ssa.gov/report. Thanks!

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