Frauds & Scams

Inspector General Warns Public About Caller-ID “Spoofing” Scheme Misusing SSA Customer Service Number

October 22, 2018 • By

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Last Updated: October 22, 2018

woman looking on phoneThe Acting Inspector General of Social Security, Gale Stallworth Stone, is warning citizens about an ongoing caller-ID “spoofing” scheme misusing the Social Security Administration’s (SSA) national customer service phone number. SSA has received numerous reports of questionable phone calls displaying SSA’s 1-800 number on a caller-ID screen. This is a scam; citizens should not engage with those calls or provide any personal information.

These reports indicate the calls display the 1-800-772-1213, SSA’s national customer service number, as the incoming number on caller ID. People who have accepted the calls said the caller identifies as an SSA employee. In some cases, the caller states that SSA does not have all of the person’s personal information, such as their Social Security number (SSN), on file. Other callers claim SSA needs additional information so the agency can increase the person’s benefit payment, or that SSA will terminate the person’s benefits if they do not confirm their information. This appears to be a widespread issue, as reports have come from citizens across the country.

SSA employees do contact citizens by telephone for customer-service purposes, and in some situations, an SSA employee may request the citizen confirm personal information over the phone. However, SSA employees will never threaten you for information or promise a Social Security benefit approval or increase in exchange for information. In those cases, the call is fraudulent, and you should just hang up.

“This caller-ID spoofing scheme exploits SSA’s trusted reputation, and it shows that scammers will try anything to mislead and harm innocent people,” Stone said. “I  encourage everyone to remain watchful of these schemes and to alert family members and friends of their prevalence. We will continue to track these scams and warn citizens, so that they can stay several steps ahead of these thieves.”

The Acting Inspector General urges citizens to be extremely cautious, and to avoid providing 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. If you receive a suspicious call from someone alleging to be from SSA, you should report that information to the OIG at 1-800-269-0271 or online at https://oig.ssa.gov/report

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About the Author

Andrew Cannarsa, OIG Communications Director

Andrew Cannarsa, OIG Communications Director

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Comments

  1. Sandra T.

    I just got a text message on my cellphone telling me there was a message on ssa.gov My Social Security account. I signed in with my user name and password and verified by cellphone number so I could receive a text with a code number within 2 minutes. That text never arrived. I signed into my SSA.gov account and gave my DOB and SSN. Then realized it was probably a scam. How can I check this out?

    • R.F.

      Hello Sandra. For assistance, please call our dedicated my Social Security-Hotline. To reach this hotline, call 1-800-772-1213, and select the prompt “helpdesk”. The help desk will be available to callers between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. Generally, you’ll have a shorter wait time if you call later in the day. Thanks!

  2. Ginny D.

    I just received a call today on my cell phone; it is so unnerving because I am a victim of identity theft and once they have your social…diligence is necessary all the time; do not let your guard down! I just made an online complaint to the OIG.

    • R.F.

      Thank you for your comment and your report, Ginny!

  3. Ron

    This morning I received a phone call on a land line from a “Josh” with a middle east accent at Social Security informing me that my SSN has been suspended due to illegal activity on it. He rattled off two phone numbers I should call and he stated I’d be getting a letter. I did NOT call either number.

  4. Donna E.

    I just got a call from (443) 356-6495 Maryland in a robotic voice saying that there has been fraudulent activity on my Social Security number and to call them back before legal proceedings are started.
    I’m not receiving any benefits, only paying into the system through work. When I reverse lookup the number it does not give me the SSA office.

    • V.V.

      Hi Donna, thank you for checking in with us. Unfortunately there are some Social Security impersonation schemes that we are warning citizens about.

      If you have questions about any communication — email, letter, text or phone call — that claims to be from SSA, 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 (TTY number at 1-800-325-0778). You may also report the information to the OIG at 1-800-269-0271 or online via https://oig.ssa.gov/report.

  5. Sue M.

    I just received a call from the Sarasota Social Security Office phone number telling me that “my Social was being suspended for suspicious activity” and told to press 1 to talk to an agent.
    How do they manage to clone a government office phone. Umber and get away with it??????

    • V.V.

      Hi Sue, thank you for checking in with us. Unfortunately there are some Social Security impersonation schemes that we are warning citizens about.

      If you have questions about any communication — email, letter, text or phone call — that claims to be from SSA, 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 (TTY number at 1-800-325-0778). You may also report the information to the OIG at 1-800-269-0271 or online via https://oig.ssa.gov/report.

  6. Richard T.

    I will be saving this email for future use and alert others here also thanks.

  7. Joan D.

    I have received 2 phone calls from 725-400-0785 (a recording saying “there is criminal activity on with you Social Security “ and to call that number.. I have not called the number and I have blocked it..
    Joan Davidson
    neno.davidson@icloud.com

  8. Sherril

    On November 26 at 3:56pm I received a scam call using the SSA Customer service number. Man, no accent, said my SSN had been invalidated due to suspicious activity from Columbia. Instructed me to select 1 for more information. I hung up the call lasted 36 seconds until this point. I then called the customer service number and gave up after an hour on hold.

    Why is this happening after so long?

  9. Beth B.

    Is this a SSI Scam?
    I received a letter from my social security office regarding my sons SSI
    Everything was correct on it his ss#, my phone number and address
    States that they will call me on 11/30 between 9-12pm
    In the letter it states they require me to mail in original bank statements (checking and saving accounts),paystubs, and tax returns for me and my husband for 2 years until now!
    If I don’t comply they will stop my son’s SSI and medicaid benefits!
    This is the phone number on the letter 1-877-457-1735

  10. Nigel K.

    You need to make it easier to report spoofing calls. I just got one (26 Nov 11.34 CST) and wanted to report it. Ended up at this site. Went to fill in the form which is wayyyyyy too long for what should be a simple report and seemed to be geared more to reporting somebody faking an SSA claim. Tried the phone number listed – got the options none of which was to report a fraudulent call. Gave up in the end. Please have a separate number or simple report for letting the SSA know about spoofing calls.

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