Inspector General Warns Public About Social Security Advisory Board-Related Scam
Reading Time: 2 MinutesLast Updated: May 17, 2019
The Inspector General of Social Security, Gail S. Ennis, is warning the public about a new variation of increasingly common government employee impersonation scams, this time involving the Social Security Advisory Board. The Advisory Board has reported that individuals are receiving scam phone calls displaying the board’s phone number on caller ID. The callers are reportedly attempting to obtain personal information, including Social Security numbers. If you receive this type of call, you should not engage with the caller or provide personal information or money in response to requests or threats.
These callers are employing tactics similar to impersonation schemes involving the IRS, SSA, and the SSA OIG. Inspector General Ennis advises that callers may use a variety of false scenarios or threats to obtain personal information or payments, often requested through gift cards or prepaid debit cards.
However, the Social Security Advisory Board typically does not contact the general public to request personal information over the phone. Moreover, government employees will never threaten you to obtain personal information or payments. In those cases, the call is fraudulent, and you should just hang up.
“This caller-ID spoofing scheme has unfortunately evolved to include the Social Security Advisory Board, but it is the same type of scam, attempting to mislead people by using the trusted name of Social Security,” Inspector General Ennis said. “I encourage everyone to alert your family and friends about how common these scams are, and to be very cautious when speaking with unknown callers, even if you recognize the caller ID.”
Inspector General Ennis urges the public not to provide sensitive information over the phone or internet unless you are certain of who is receiving it. You should also never wire money or add money to a prepaid debit card to pay for any official government service.
If you receive a suspicious call, you may report that information online at https://oig.ssa.gov/report or by calling (800) 269-0271, Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 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.
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Andrew Cannarsa, OIG Communications Director
Andrew Cannarsa, OIG Communications Director
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Kita
Has anyone recieved a call from SSA stating that their social security card will be suspended?
Jenny L.
I am savvy enough to recognize these scammers. The IRS and SSA do not call people. Firefighter and police departments do not solicit as charities to the public. I fear for my fellow seniors some who are in the beginning stages of Alzheimer’s or dementia, or are just not tech savvy. Is there anyone out there who can protect them?
Sebastian
My mom yesterday received this call and she provided information like name, adress and Social Security number. She is a litlle bit older and she immediately call to me . I recommended her to call police but due Im living in Europa I dont know much more about USA procedures. What are the hazards or danger due she provided the information to scammers? What they can do? What she should do now more than calling Police
A.C.
Thanks for checking in with us, Sebastian. 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. Your mother can also report these scams to the Federal Trade Commission through a new site specific to Social Security scams, here. Thanks, again.
Christine M.
How can I report a phone number and name given for one of the Social Security scam calls? This was from a Maria Gomez at 615-802-0706
A.C.
Thanks for checking in with us, Christine. 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.
Loretta
I received a call on 6/28/2019 claiming they were the social security and that my social security number may be being in a fraud the number was 502/361/5568 I became suspicious and hung up
George S.
If you received a fake call then there’s a possibility that you will fall in the trap. My cousin received a call regarding the same. They threaten him that his social security will be going to be blocked and asked him about the SSN. But luckily he was well aware of these spam calls and didn’t shared any detail. A big thanks to all these websites who are making an effort to aware people about social security spams.
A.C.
Hi, George. We appreciate your thoughts. Thanks for your comment!
Natalia G.
I just received my second call, one was yesterday around 2pm, and today at 5pm telling me that they were going to arrest me if I didn’t give them my personal information….lucky me, I work with SS attorneys and I just told the Indian guy that called me….if you are from the SS office, then why do you need my information? He started to stutter and then I told him, if you are going to arrest me then send the police. He said that if I cooperated and gave him my SS number, he could resolve my issue…..ha!! So I told him that my sister works for the SS office in Washington DC and I was going to call her immediately and have a 3 way conversation with him and her…and he hung up before I was done speaking!!
L.A.
Hi Natalia. Thank you for letting us know about these calls. 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 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.
Ruth E.
I went to the St. Louis SSA office yesterday (June 18, 2019) to request a new SSN card. Within an hour of returning home, I had received four calls supposedly from the SSA, with a robotic voice saying there was suspicious activity using my SSN and giving a number to call to resolve the matter or my SSN would be deactivated. I do not answer, but my voice mail picks up the calls and the scammers leave full-length messages every time. I know not to respond, but am very concerned about the apparent coincidence of the visit and the calls, which have continued with four more today. I tried calling the SSA about this, but none of the options seemed to quite fit this situation, so I’m putting a letter in the mail to the Delmar Blvd. and national SSA offices.
A.C.
Thanks for checking in with us, Ruth. 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.
DNW
I RECEIVED A CALL FROM 18007721213 AND HE STATED THAT HIS NAME WAS OFFICER RICK JOHNSON BADGE NUMBER RJ3124739 AND THAT THERE WAS SUSPICIOUS ACTIVITY WITH MY SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER SUCH AS MONEY LAUNDERING AND OR DRUG ACTIVITIES AND THAT I NEED TO COOPERATE WITH HIM OR THAT MY SOCIAL SECURITY CARD WOULD BE CANCELED…IT WAS ALARMING BECAUSE THEY HE HAD MY ADDRESS, AGE, ETC…WAS THIS AN AUTHENTHICALLY FROM SS…I HUNG UP AND WOULD AND IMMEDIATLY CALL SS BACK BUT I HAVE BEEN ON HOLD FOR ABOUT 2 HOURS…
A.C.
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. We hope this helps.
Ron M.
To Whom it May Concern,
My Name is Ronald D. Moore age 75 and collect Social Security Check every month my tel number is 828-524-1967 and I think I just got scamed. I had an enity call and leave his phone number of 210-504-6341 to tell me my social security number had been comprimised in Texas and I have only passed through the state. they wanted me to take out all my assets from my bank and put it into a gift card. And the time limit was an hour and a half. If I hung on them they would sent law officers to my home and arrest me. This is not logical in my mind that they would do this being a Navy retiree of 23 years and drawing only social security and Navy Retirement as my only income. I was supposedly transferred to an officer, named Alex Mario of that gave me two protocals to adhere to and those were do not hang up and privacy act do not tell anyone why your doing the transfer. Please advise me if this is a hoax.
Thankyou
Ron Moore
A.C.
Thanks for checking in with us, Ron. 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.