Inspector General Warns Public about Phone Calls from OIG “Imposters”
Reading Time: 2 MinutesLast Updated: August 19, 2021
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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Tags: Office of the Inspector General, OIG, SSN
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Andrew Cannarsa, OIG Communications Director
Andrew Cannarsa, OIG Communications Director
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Paul A.
I called 1-800-772-1213 and was offered a call back because of the long wait (50 minutes). I received a call back from 469-656-6020 (Allen, Texas) and was able to talk to a representative. Does SSA actually have a call back service? After speaking with the representative, who asked for my SSN and birthday, I called the 800 number gain to speak to a rep and was put on hold for 55 minutes. There was no offer of a call back. I hope I didn’t get scammed.
Ray F.
Hi Paul! Generally, we offer the “callback” option at times when we are experiencing higher than normal call volume. An SSA employee may call you and may request that you confirm personal information over the phone, only in limited special situations, and for reasons usually already known to you. If a person has questions about any communication—email, letter, text or phone call—that claims to be from SSA, please contact the 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). Thanks.
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Beverly C.
This morning I received a call from someone stating they were from SSA in Arkansas about my daughters benefits. We have always lived in Texas and questioned the woman about what she was saying. She became very rude stating that she had my daughter’s ssn in front of her. And that Texas was behind in the claims and Arkansas now has my daughter’s file. When I told her I was calling SSA she said that was fine and I could call back. I called the SSA number and ask the young lady on the phone if Texas was behind in the process and sending them to other states such as Arkansas. She said no. I thanked her and said I didn’t think so and thanked her for her time and hung up. The number was 501-682-6162 all the numbers from the Arkansas area SSA was 800 numbers not there local area codes.
Ray F.
You did well Beverly and we thank you for sharing this incident. It is possible that an SSA employee may contact you to follow-up on a previous application for SSA/Medicare Part D benefits or to follow-up on other business you initiated with SSA. If you are unsure as to the authenticity of someone who claims to be an SSA employee, please call SSA’s toll-free number, 1-800-772-1213, to verify the reason for the contact and the person’s identity prior to providing any information to the caller. See “Scams Involving the Impersonation of an SSA Employee” for more information.
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Recently had a call on my answering machine. I made an exact transcript of the call. It went like this: “Good afternoon. This message is for (husband’s name). My name is Kimberly B. I work at the Social Security Administration in Jamaica, New York. And I am calling in reference to claim number (husband’s Social Security Number plus the letter “A”) as in adam. My phone number is 718-557-XXXX…” At this point I pick up the phone because we are dealing currently with a Social Security issue. She repeated her name but said due to the privacy act she could not speak to me. She wanted to speak to my husband who was out of town. She said she worked in Jamaica, New York at the Social Security payment center. I asked her for her ID number. She stuttered a bit and put the phone down and I could hear her using her keyboard. I was on hold listening to keyboard sounds for about six minutes. Then she came back and gave me her employee number, which was so odd. Her ID number was 69658-615-0607. I was surprised that it took her so long to give me her ID number. Then she proceeded to explain the digits in her ID number to me. She told me I should call 1-800-772-1213 to check on her employment. I told her it all sounded too complicated but told her I wrote down everything she told me. End of the call. The caller ID said “U S Government 718-557-3000”. This occurred on March 31, 2017. To this date, we have not called back and we have received no more calls. I know if my husband had answered the call that day, he would have been scammed simply because we were waiting for a followup from Social Security either by US Mail or phone call for the last three months. I think it was a scam/phishing call but not totally sure. Could the OIG check this out and let me know? Is it policy to leave a Social Security Number in a voice message on an answering machine? Is the employee ID number that complicated and difficult for an employee to retrieve? Would it be prudent for anyone getting a call from SSA to ask for an ID number before answering any questions and if so, how many digits or letters are in that number? Thanks in advance for a response.
Ray F.
Even though this appears to be a legitimate call from one of our representatives, we have referred this information to our operations staff for follow up and to take corrective action as necessary. SSA employees may call you in limited situations, such as if you recently filed a claim or have other Social Security business, but you should not have to provide your personal information, like your Social Security number or bank account number. Agency employees will not make unsolicited calls and request personal information. To verify the legitimacy of any text messages, emails, or phone calls, you may call Social Security’s nationwide toll-free customer service at 1 800-772-1213 (TTY 1-800-325-0778). We appreciate your feedback, and thank you for bringing this to our attention.