Frauds & Scams

How You Can Help Social Security Protect Your Information

March 21, 2019 • By

Reading Time: 1 Minute

Last Updated: March 21, 2019

Protecting your information is an important part of Social Security’s mission. You work hard and make a conscious effort to save and plan for retirement. Unfortunately, fraud and scams are a part of our current reality. Scammers try to stay a step ahead of us, but our cyber-security programs help us protect the information entrusted to us. Despite the techniques we use to thwart scams, we can’t do it alone. You can read Social Security’s joint press release with the Office of Inspector General about our new nationwide Public Service Announcement (PSA) campaign. This new PSA campaign addresses these telephone impersonation schemes in a series of video and audio ads. Watch the video above and learn how you can help us protect your information.

Also, earlier this month, we teamed up with the Federal Trade Commission for a Facebook Live event to discuss more consumer protection tips. If you missed this very important session, you can find it on our Facebook page.

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About the Author

Jim Borland, Acting Deputy Commissioner for Communications

Jim Borland, Acting Deputy Commissioner for Communications

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Comments

  1. JANICE l.

    I Received a call from 1 888 237-5156.today, second time I have received the call saying my sss number has been used in texas and my card was being suspended. then asked for my number. I asked them if they knew my number was being used in Texas, why did they need me to tell them again . and hung up. I will no longer answer calls that I do not know.

    • A.C.

      Thanks for letting us know, Janice. Keep in mind 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 find additional information here. We hope this helps.

  2. Janet D.

    I have had companies request my social security number as identification. Is this legal for them to require this if I do not work for them? Example: When I write a check

  3. Meghan

    Just received a phone call form the “Social Security Administration” stating that they were suspending my social because i am wanted for drug trafficking and money laundering in the state of Texas (I have never been).

    • A.C.

      Hi, Meghan. Keep in mind 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 find additional information here. We hope this helps.

  4. Cathy W.

    I received a phone call from 806.476.2678.

    The call indicated my social security number was part of a legal proceeding and I needed to call. I was suspicious. Called, answered “Social Security.” I told the man I knew it was a scam and I was going to report this number and post it on line as fraud. I did this after looking up the number and seeing that someone else had posted it as fraud number.

    • A.C.

      Hi, Cathy. Thanks for letting us know. Keep in mind 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 find additional information here. We hope this helps.

  5. Sofiya

    I recieved 3 phone calls today stating that the call is from Social Security Administration. The numbers are :
    929-733-9911
    929-412-9521
    929-864-1486

    • A.C.

      Hi, Sofiya. Thanks for letting us know. 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 find additional information here. We hope this helps.

  6. Jodie J.

    For the past 3 days I have been receiving about 5-6 calls in a row of a recording saying it is Officer Gayle Stone (a man’s voice though) and says my SS# will be suspended due to suspicious activity. They are calling from 844 229-7627. It is annoying that they keep robo dialing. I figured it was a scam as I don’t think SSA would call with a threatening tone. I can’t block the number because it is on our landline.

    • A.C.

      Hi, Jodie. 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 find additional information here. We hope this helps.

  7. Anna J.

    I have had a similar number calling and saying they are the Social Security administration and I have not answered the call. It says to check FREE BACK GROUND CHECKS

    • A.C.

      Hi, Anna. 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 find additional information here. We hope this helps.

  8. Mike H.

    I have had a similar number calling and saying they are the Social Security administration and I have not answered the call it’s going to voicemail I didn’t answer one call but it was a recorded line so I did not continue to listen to it. Since then I have not answered any calls from the same number which continues to call me at least four times a day. The number is 800-882-9539.

    • A.C.

      Hi, Mike. Thanks for letting us know. 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 find additional information here. We hope this helps.

  9. Richard T.

    We received a call claiming they were from Social Security and a Federal Warrant was issued for someone in this household receiving SSA and they called from Leage City, Texas saying there is an arrest warrant from and to call 281-532-5472 to speak to the Social Security Warrant Officer to turn ourselves in.

    • A.C.

      Hi, Richard. Thanks for letting us know. 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 find additional information here. We hope this helps.

  10. Kristy H.

    Just got a call that sounds a lot like the recording.

    • A.C.

      Thanks for your comment, Kristy. 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 find additional information here. We hope this helps.

Comments are closed.