Inspector General Updates Public About OIG Impersonation Scheme
Reading Time: 2 MinutesLast Updated: August 19, 2021
Gale Stallworth Stone, the Acting Inspector General of Social Security, is urging citizens to remain vigilant of a nationwide telephone impersonation scheme. Since alerting the public in early March about suspicious calls from people posing as Office of the Inspector General (OIG) investigators, the Social Security Administration (SSA) and the OIG have received additional reports and information about the phone scheme from citizens across the country.
According to reports, the calls include a recorded message from an “officer with the Inspector General of Social Security.” The recording states the person’s Social Security account, Social Security number (SSN), and/or benefits are suspended, and the person should call a non-SSA number to resolve the issue. For instance, a common recording from “Nancy Jones” requests citizens call 806-680-2373. Upon calling the number, an unknown person alerts unsuspecting citizens about a warrant for their arrest. The unknown person urges citizens to purchase iTunes cards, other gift cards, or prepaid banking cards, for hundreds of dollars, and to provide the card information to the unknown person, to resolve the warrant.
Acting Inspector General Stone advises that citizens:
- Avoid calling any number provided by a suspicious source, as the unknown source might pressure you to provide your personal information, or to make a payment or purchase for fictitious reasons.
- Avoid making payments over the phone or purchasing gift cards or banking cards to resolve government or business matters.
“This scheme targets unsuspecting persons and uses scare tactics to defraud them of their resources,” Acting Inspector General Stone said. “Citizens should be very careful and avoid responding to suspicious calls. If an unknown person pressures you on the phone into providing payments or making purchases for odd reasons, don’t think twice about hanging up.”
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.
If a person has questions about any communication—phone call, email, letter, or text—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.)
Did you find this Information helpful?
Tags: fraud, Inspector General, Office of the Inspector General, OIG, social security, Social Security benefits, SSA
See CommentsAbout the Author
Andrew Cannarsa, OIG Communications Director
Andrew Cannarsa, OIG Communications Director
Comments
Comments are closed.
BENNIE K.
SOMEONE IS STOPPING ME ACCESS TO MY SOCIAL SECURITY ACCOUNT, NEED OIG HELP.
R.F.
Hi Bennie. If you are unable to create an account or encounter a problem with your my Social Security account, you may:
•Call us at 1-800-772-1213 (TTY 1-800-325-0778), Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. At the voice prompt, say “helpdesk”; or
•Contact your local Social Security office. Thanks!
Misty B.
Why havent i gotten my ssd yet im pretty mad right now
Tonya I.
I want to see my file and check the status of my disability claim please call me 765-338-7364
R.F.
Hello Tony! Unfortunately, but for security reasons, we do not have access to personal records in this blog. Please continue working with your local Social Security office. If you are unable to visit the local office, you can call our toll free number at 1-800-772-1213. Representatives are available Monday through Friday, between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. Generally, you will have a shorter wait time if you call later during the day, thanks.
Lesly F.
HOW EVERYONE SCARE BUT SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATION IS NOT A BANK.THAT MY THINKING..! SSA YOU CONCERN BECAUSE WE THE PEOPLE WHO DESERVE TO SCARE ABOUT BAD GUY IN THIS COUNTRY…!
James A.
What is the damage of personal information by
scammers several months ago? JAS
James A.
What is the damage by scammers who stole
personal data several months ago? Thx., JAS
David
hahahah OSG! hahaha they dont work. they just get laid tax dollars to lie. i have asked them for help to correcr governennt corruption they ALWAYS answer not their job. thats because they are behind the corruorion.
There are twelve million, TWELVE MILLION “illegal imigrants” who have invaded and occupy America with Government approval . what is a nunber of invading forces before its called an invasion? and what is it that terrorists do? challange prevailing laws to convert others to their beliefs.
Carolyn H.
I received a call from Inspector general office at 1:11PM today the caller ID # was 866-723-2349 no name listed.. He gave me my date of birth and my social security number. Said I must follow his instructions as my social security has been suspended. If I want it back ,he repeated I must follow his instrustions. I told him I don’t believe him and said he was the stuff that comes from the back end of a cow. I hung up. I called 1-800-269-0271. Left a call back message. I’m not sure when I will get the call back. What all do I need to do?
R.F.
Hi, Carolyn. The number you provided (1-800-269-0271) is the correct telephone number for the Office of Inspector General (OIG). The hours of operation are: Monday thru Friday 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST). We always recommend to avoid providing personal information unless you are certain of a person’s authority to have the information. SSA employees occasionally contact citizens by telephone for customer-service purposes. An SSA employees 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. 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 our toll-free 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.
k e.
Help Needed! Charity Groups! Fund Raiser Groups! Church Groups who do fund raising! Charity Groups can you all do a charity fund raiser for money for travel and transportation expenses? We would like to move away from austin and even texas but need help with finances Travel cost I am sure would be at least $1200.00 or more and due to being medical sick I probably will need special kind of help and seating arrangments made so it may be more then that even I have items also I want to take means extra luggage to take along which means extra cost also DOCTORS—–I need a medical doctor for medical help and I am so far not getting the care I need medically and my medicare/Medicaid card is a joke to me and not real good coverage at all so far my help has not been good the nurses have used out-dated products on me and I do not do well on them products (years back I got sick on psych meds and never got medically my health back yet but I am sure austin state hospital and others had used out-dated products with psych meds also and are not good for medicines they left me medically un-healthy and therefore, I need medical help and cannot so far get it here in austin or texas that is good care My Medicaid and medicare so far gives me poor care (with any area medical or mental) I need a doctor with a few years of work experience in medical wards and hospital giving medical care for that type of medical doctor to see me and maybe if you are out here doctors and see this note can you come to texas to help me sense so far I have not received or say been given proper good medical care here in austin or texas yet and my coverage stinks (sense I got sick on those psych meds which I no longer take and have not for years but my medical problems have not stopped I never got medically well again) this is one reason why I want to move to get proper medical care which so far I am not getting here in austin or texas so far I am bleeding and have bowel problems and still bleed even without having a bowl and other problems and cannot get so far the care I need here in austin need I guess to move out of state finally to get proper care from medical doctor then This is finally a cry for help! I need medical help from a experienced medical doctor! Plus! I am sorry to say about austin and tx and other dps and judges in courts that I have noticed you all are sissi butts/sissi ass’s and are afraid of real criminals out here breaking real crimes and I wrongfully got arrested when homeless and you took me to mental health and allowed me started on a psych med and it caused me to get sick and a medical problem and I have not been given proper medical care yet over it what the legal system/judges and courts and dps/jail staff and sheriff and police has done to me was a sissi ass/sissi butt act and tells me the system including the mental health staff you all use are cowards of the real thing out here and real criminals out here and I ended up with a medical illness for no good reason over the legal systems and mental health systems cowards act Also I need a force that protects me from harm also (I do not feel protected by the police force or legal system here in texas here) fact really is I do not feel protected by the police force and legal system in any state actually and could use their help actually Military—–I am a family member of a dad and step dad in military previous years and I actually do not feel protected from our own u.s. military or military police force at all sometimes they seem at war with us here as u.s. citizens rather then at war with out of united states countries or out of united states citizins especially here near the border or in austin here County and state mental hospitals and mhmr’ are a joke to be laughed at for a crew of staff also no help from them no decent help! Signed Katrine(Kathrine) Elizabeth sackett 32463 whitelady (5’3)(5’2 ½) Spring terrace apts 7101 n ih 35 austin texas apt 214 March 19 2020 3030
BILLY R.
I need help I have been dealing with an issue for months I signed up for a direct deposit ever since there saying I been payed double when that’s not the case I live month to month I have been on the phone 35 times thinking I have this solved I received 43 dollars this month? ? What is the deal ? I’ have several health problems among ptsd I signed up thinking this would be more convenient and for 5 months it’s a endless hell social security security payment department please call me my name is Billy Rose phone is 903 556 1966 my email is ahr82672@Gmail.Com can you please help me fix this issue? ?
K.O.
Hello Billy. Unfortunately, your question is a bit more complex and not what we can handle in this forum. For your security, we do not have access to information about your account. Please continue working with your local Social Security office or call our toll free number at 1-800-772-1213 (TTY 1-800-325-0778) and speak to one of our representatives. Representatives are available Monday through Friday, between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. Generally, you’ll have a shorter wait time if you call later in the week. Thanks.
isabelle
I have a comment. All these audits that gets done. They all seem to be the same issues. They do audits, SSA answers and then we are done till next year. this is a game and we are paying the price