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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Richard J.
I just received 4 calls from 530-447-9192 stating that my social security number has been suspended. I hung up each time not listening to the entire recording.
A.C.
Hi, Richard. Suspicious calls should be reported to the Office of the Inspector General at 1-800-269-0271 or online. You can also report these scams to the Federal Trade Commission through a new site specific to Social Security scams, here. We hope this helps.
Stephanie
A man claiming to be inspector Jason Lee called me. When I questioned him about his authenticity, he claimed not to have been able to hear me. I then disconnected the call. The alleged inspector called me back from a different number. The first number was 8333-323-0373 the return call was made from 501-220-0035. He asked for me by my maiden name, which I have not gone by in 10 and a half years. Nice try bad person.
A.C.
Thanks for letting us know, Stephanie. We do not usually make random calls. If anyone receives calls saying that they are from Social Security, do not give out any personal information. Suspicious calls should be reported to the Office of the Inspector General at 1-800-269-0271 or online. You can also report these scams to the Federal Trade Commission through a new site specific to Social Security scams, here. Thanks, again.
Susan M.
Yesterday I received a call from Social Security and the man asked me my name and my SS number. All I said was, don’t you know who you are calling and he hung up. The number that called is 1-418-941-8125. The name on the caller ID was Jarrettsul, MD. This number has called several, but I only answered it yesterday.
A.C.
Hi, Susan. Thanks for checking in with us. We do not usually make random calls. If anyone receives calls saying that they are from Social Security, do not give out any personal information. Suspicious calls should be reported to the Office of the Inspector General at 1-800-269-0271 or online. You can also report these scams to the Federal Trade Commission through a new site specific to Social Security scams, here. Thanks, again.
Joe W.
I received a SCAM VM stating the caller was from Social Security & I needed to call them immediately as there was fraudulent activity on my account, (misspelled words). The number listed said it was from NY 1-646-594-3974.
Robert w.
Phone number 1 (952) 444-3185 from Minneapolis,MN claimed to be from the social security office. I told them “no your not!” And hung up on them.
Donna M.
I received a call from the Social Security Office from a Ofc. Marie Gomez telling me that my social # had been suspended but had no details. I have received numerous calls today from a phone #530-447-9192.
I felt I needed to contact you so that no one falls for this scam.
A.C.
Thanks for checking in with us, Donna. We do not usually make random calls. If anyone receives calls saying that they are from Social Security, do not give out any personal information. Suspicious calls should be reported to the Office of the Inspector General at 1-800-269-0271 or online. You can also report these scams to the Federal Trade Commission through a new site specific to Social Security scams, here. Thanks, again.
Jamie H.
646-481-2248 called me about suspending my SSN because of “suspicious activity”
Karen L.
I received a call today around noon in Bend, Oregon from someone saying there was a problem with my Social Security Number and they were suspending my account. I hung up immediately but knew it was a scam. The phone number is 646-481-1548.
A.C.
Thanks for checking in with us, Karen. We do not usually make random calls. If anyone receives calls saying that they are from Social Security, do not give out any personal information. Suspicious calls should be reported to the Office of the Inspector General at 1-800-269-0271 or online. You can also report these scams to the Federal Trade Commission through a new site specific to Social Security scams, here. We hope this helps.
Clarence D.
I filed for SSA.
I did receive a direct call from SSA, from a number in Boston that did not identify itself as SSA.
They asked for my SSN, which I would not provide. They provided a callback number via my gmail account which also seems insecure. The extra information on GMail verified that it was from SSA.gov, but I was still suspicious.
That email included a callback number that isn’t listed as SSA in any public document.
I called the publicly listed number for SSA 1-800-772-1213 and elected to receive a callback.
That callback came from a Texas number, also not marked as SSA, but it included my greeting to myself, recorded by me when I requested the callback.
This was all legitimate, but seems horribly insecure in today’s environment.
Messages should be passed via the secure inbox at secure.ssa.gov. I’m not even sure I can trust a piece of paper received in the mail.
All of the phone numbers should be verifiable in an app at SSA.gov, since there is no listing of local numbers.
Geraldine M.
Received 3 calls from 1 510 112 7901 on July 2, 2019
Message transcription on i-phone:
I’m suspicious activity so if you want to know about this case just press one thank you this call is from Department of Social Security administration. The reason you have received this phone call from our department is to inform you that we just suspend your Social Security number because we found some suspicious activity so if you want to know about his case just press one thank you
A.C.
Thanks for checking in with us, Geraldine. Suspicious calls should be reported to the Office of the Inspector General at 1-800-269-0271 or online. You can also report these scams to the Federal Trade Commission through a new site specific to Social Security scams, here. Thanks, again.