Inspector General Warns Public About Caller ID “Spoofing” of Social Security Fraud Hotline Phone Number
Reading Time: 1 MinuteLast Updated: April 2, 2019
The Inspector General of Social Security, Gail S. Ennis, is warning citizens about a caller-ID “spoofing” scheme misusing the Social Security Administration (SSA) Office of the Inspector General’s (OIG) Fraud Hotline phone number. The OIG has received recent reports of phone calls displaying the Fraud Hotline number on a caller-ID screen. This is a scam; OIG employees do not place outgoing calls from the Fraud Hotline 800 number. Citizens should not engage with these calls or provide personal information.
SSA and OIG employees do contact citizens by telephone for official purposes, and they may request the citizen confirm personal information over the phone. However, the calls do not appear on caller ID as the Fraud Hotline number of (800) 269-0271. Also, SSA and OIG employees will never threaten you for information or promise any type of official action in exchange for personal information or payment. In those cases, the call is fraudulent, and you should just hang up.
If you receive a suspicious call from someone alleging to be from SSA or OIG, you should report that information to the OIG online at https://oig.ssa.gov/report or by calling (800) 269-0271, Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Eastern Time. You can also report these scams to the Federal Trade Commission through a new site specific to Social Security scams: https://identitytheft.gov/ssa
See the full advisory at the OIG website.
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Andrew Cannarsa, OIG Communications Director
Andrew Cannarsa, OIG Communications Director
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JIM B.
I am being harrassed by a phone call claiming to be SS two times a day or more.
Luis A.
Hi Jim. Thanks for letting us know about these calls. We do not usually make random calls. If anyone receives calls saying they are from Social Security, do not give out any personal information. Suspicious calls should be reported to the Office of the Inspector General online. You can also report these scams to the Federal Trade Commission through a site specific to Social Security scams, here. We hope this helps.
Diana L.
That information is correct but when I called the fraud hotline number it is does not give the option to report a scam call. There are other options but they are not about receiving scam calls. And the on line reporting is in relation to identity theft. There has to be a place to specifically report a scam call and the number that it was called from. That is captured in most cell phones.
Thank you
Katrina E.
I received a call this morning from someone claiming to be from SSA and how my benefits are increasing and that they needed me to verify my information. The phone call came from 405-336-2116. I immediately hung up on them and came to this site to report it.
Luis A.
Hi Karina. Thank you for checking in with us. Keep in mind we do not usually make random calls. If you or 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 online. You can also report these scams to the Federal Trade Commission through a site specific to Social Security scams here. We hope this helps.
Nancy P.
text message sent stating my criminal attorney should return this call to 740-251-0170. there is a legal enforcement action filed on my social security number for fraudulent activity, so before I get arrested or this goes to the state court house I should call this number. I have no attorney and to my knowledge I have no fraudulent activity. I did not call this number back. advice??
Luis A.
Hi Nancy. Thank you for letting us know about these text messages. We may, at times, call beneficiaries, but we do not send text message beneficiaries. If you or anyone receives calls or text messages saying that they are from Social Security, do not give out any personal information. Suspicious calls or text messages should be reported to the Office of the Inspector General 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.
Stan
Phone # 214-736-3134 posing as SSA reps.
Luis A.
Hi Stan. Thank you for letting us know. Suspicious calls should be reported to the Office of the Inspector General online. You can also report these scams to the Federal Trade Commission through a site specific to Social Security scams here. We hope this helps.
Gabriel
Here is another number for Social Security fraud the number may come out of Texas. 940-220-3660. My son was threaten by these con artist but he did not give them his SS#. They seem to know your name now! I tried to trace their number but apparently it could be new or coming off their computers. The next time they call we are going to get them!
Ann C.
Hi, Gabriel. Thanks for letting us know. Suspicious calls should be reported to the Office of the Inspector General online. You can also report these scams to the Federal Trade Commission through a site specific to Social Security scams, here. We hope this helps.
Barbara
My husband received a robocall back in late August just notifying him that his social security number had been placed on hold due to “suspicious activity”, with instructions to dial “1” to call the number back for further information. He only just checked his VM because in the last week alone, he has received 2 collection letters from 2 different sources, 1 of which was from a collection agent and the other from his employer who will be initiating a payroll deduction to pay an exorbitant amount of money to some creditor that he has never even heard of. In this particular situation, the creditor never made any form of direct contact with my husband by phone or mail. Neither did their attorney. I believe my husband should have received a certified notification from the attorney long before the garnishment notification. It seems to me that the attorney had a responsibility of notifying my husband in advance of this action, but that has not been the case. The only type of calls my husband has received are people who refuse to identify themselves properly, explaining the nature of their call, and they want his social security number. In light of the fact that he never received any certified notification, this garnishment has come as a great shock. How does this type of thing happen? Who and where will the next letter come from…needless to say, we are a bit unnerved by this. We are not willing to pay for something we never got, and most certainly not with a 25% pay deduction…the fact that this can happen to anyone is most frightening!!! Can you please respond by telling us if you make it a habit of placing robocalls of that nature???
Ann C.
Hi, Barbara. We are sorry to hear about your husband’s situation. We do not usually make random calls. If anyone receives calls saying they are from Social Security, do not give out any personal information. Suspicious calls should be reported to the Office of the Inspector General online. You can also report these scams to the Federal Trade Commission through a site specific to Social Security scams, here. If he suspects identity theft, he should report the theft to the Federal Trade Commission or call 1-877-IDTHEFT (1-877-438-4338). We hope this helps.
Theresa H.
Received a call saying possible fraud use of my SS number when I question the person they asked for my number! Number I called per their request was 818-639-8695.
Ann C.
Hi, Theresa. Thanks for checking in with us. Keep in mind, we do not usually make random calls. If anyone receives calls saying they are from Social Security, do not give out any personal information. Suspicious calls should be reported to the Office of the Inspector General online. You can also report these scams to the Federal Trade Commission through a site specific to Social Security scams, here. We hope this helps.
Marjorie D.
I had a call from this number 1-800-912-0491 telling me that he was an investigating officer and that there are activities going on and are about to be suspended and to press 1 to talk to an investigating officer before we get to legal informant action that has been filed against your social security . Press 1 now. Thank You
Luis A.
Hi Marjorie. Thanks for checking in with us. We do not usually make random calls. If anyone receives calls saying they are from Social Security, do not give out any personal information. Suspicious calls should be reported to the Office of the Inspector General online. You can also report these scams to the Federal Trade Commission through a site specific to Social Security scams, here. We hope this helps.
Pat C.
Today I received a phone call from Pheonix, Arizona – 480-725-4160 that claimed there was some fradulant activity on my social security. I tried calling the phone number 800-269-0271 but got the USUAL robot recording and NO ACTUAL PERSON to talk to. Via the recording, it says to go to the internet at http://www.identityfraud.gov/ssa and, again there’s NO WAY TO GO. So – Here I am
I would really, really like to talk to someone – but – if you should call me back I would NEVER know if your the bad guy or not.
My question is HOW DO I FIND OUT IF ANY FRAUDULANT ACTIVITY IS GOING ON IN MY ACCOUNT???????? How do I get this information if I can’t talk to anyone?