Is that Phone Call From Us?
Reading Time: 2 MinutesLast Updated: August 19, 2021
It’s the morning of a busy day at home and you get a call from an unknown number. You answer only to find yourself on the receiving end of a threatening message saying your Social Security benefits will stop immediately unless you provide your personal information. It happens every day to thousands of Americans. And it’s not Social Security calling.
Scammers have many ways to lure their victims into providing information and then stealing their identities. Sometimes they call under a guise of helping you complete a disability application.
Protecting your information is an important part of Social Security’s mission to secure today and tomorrow. SSA employees occasionally contact citizens by telephone for customer-service purposes. In only a few special situations, usually already known to the citizen, an SSA employee may request the citizen confirm personal information over the phone. If you do receive a call from one of our representatives, they will provide you with a telephone number and extension.
The Acting Inspector General for Social Security, Gail Stallworth Stone, urges everyone to stay vigilant of impersonation schemes and to not be afraid to hang up.
You must always remember that you’re in control. Also remember that Social Security will never do any of the following:
- Call you to demand an immediate payment.
- Demand that you pay a debt without the ability to appeal the amount you owe.
- Require a specific means of payment, such as requiring you to pay with a prepaid debit card.
- Ask you for your personal information or credit or debit card numbers over the phone.
- Threaten you with arrest or deportation.
If you receive one of these scam calls or emails, do not provide them with any information. You should:
- Hang up immediately.
- For Social Security impersonations, contact Social Security’s Office of Inspector General at https://oig.ssa.gov/report.
If you receive a notice from Social Security, please use the telephone numbers provided in the notice sent to you. You can also call 1-800-772-1213 or visit ssa.gov for how to contact Social Security. Remember that scammers try to stay a step ahead of the curve. You can do the same by protecting your information.
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Jim Borland, Acting Deputy Commissioner for Communications
Jim Borland, Acting Deputy Commissioner for Communications
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Mary K.
I called Social Security two times -once in July and once August 1,2018. The person I spoke to said they would call me back in 7 to 10 days with my appointment. They did not call back either time. So now I will go in. Will they say you need an appointment and we will call you in 7 to 10 days. I turn 65 in 2 weeks. HELP! I feel so helpless with this. Mary
R.F.
Hello Mary. We apologize and regret to hear you did not receive the call-back as indicated. Please keep in mind that many of our services are conveniently available anytime at our website. We encourage our customers to create a my Social Security account. With a personal my Social Security account, you can get estimates of your retirement, disability, and survivors benefits, review your earnings record and much more.
Individuals age 65 or older and not ready to start their monthly cash benefits can use our online retirement application to sign up for Medicare ONLY and apply for their retirement benefits at a later date.
When calling our toll free number at 1-800-772-1213 you will -generally- have a shorter wait time if you call later during the day or later in the week. Representatives are available Monday through Friday, Between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m.
Remember that -even- setting up an appointment weeks in the future, will establish a protective filing date, so we urge you to get on the calendar to protect your benefits.
Thanks!
Crystal B.
I have received several threatening voicemails on my cellphone from a man with an Indian(India) or middle eastern accent stating he was from Social Security that someone was using my SS ID for criminal purposes and was extremely arrogant and rude. I want to report this asap using the phone #1-443-837-8455. He maybe a criminal himself. Thanks so much for looking into this manner and want it stopped so he can’t threatened anyone else.
R.F.
We understand your concern and thank you for sharing this information, Crystal. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC), which receives and analyzes public complaints related to identity theft, recently reported to the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) an increase in reports of suspicious phone calls from people claiming to be SSA employees. Social Security Administration (SSA) employees occasionally contact citizens by telephone for customer-service purposes. An SSA employee may call you in limited situations, such as if you recently filed a claim or have other Social Security business that are pending.
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 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). Citizens may -also- report that information to the OIG at 1-800-269-0271 or online via https://oig.ssa.gov/report. Thanks, again.
Gregory N.
I want to report a probable fraudulent call from somebody claiming to be from Social Security. The call was from phone number 1-240-601-8517. They threatened to have me arrested if I didn’t call back.
R.F.
Thank you for sharing this information, Gregory. Social Security Administration (SSA) employees occasionally contact citizens by telephone for customer-service purposes. An SSA employee may call you in limited situations, such as if you recently filed a claim or have other Social Security business that are pending.
If a person has 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). Citizens may report that information to the OIG at 1-800-269-0271 or online via https://oig.ssa.gov/report. Thanks again!
Sally
I just received a call from 209-890-0444. There was a recorded message. The beginning of it was cut off. I did not even hear that it was supposed to be the SSA. I did not answer, but I called back, knowing it might be a scam, after I heard something about legal proceedings. The man who answered (a foreign accent – maybe Indian?) said, “Social Security Administration”, and asked for my telephone number. I gave it to him. Then he wanted my name. I said I did not know if he was really with the SSA, that I did not want to give him my name, and he said, in a menacing tone, “Ma’am, listen to me…”, then began to use the most foul language I have ever heard. He said, “I want to f**k you”, and so forth – about 4 phrases before I collected my wits and hung up. Is there anything that can be done to protect citizens from this kind of harassment? Can SSA find out who this number belongs to and prosecute him for falsely identifying himself as being with SSA?
I looked up the real telephone number for the SSA and called to report this scam. I was on the phone for several minutes, trying to get to the right department. When I finally got to something that said I could talk to a person, I got a recorded message that all the agents were busy, to call back later.
R.F.
We are sorry to hear of this awful experience, Sally, and regret that you had difficulty trying to contact us by phone.
Our phone lines are busiest early in the week and early in the month. If you called during those times, it is possible that the queue was full and we could not place any additional calls on hold.
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC), which receives and analyzes public complaints related to identity theft, recently reported to the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) an increase in reports of suspicious phone calls from people claiming to be SSA employees.
Social Security Administration (SSA) employees occasionally contact citizens by telephone for customer-service purposes. An SSA employee may call you in limited situations, such as if you recently filed a claim or have other Social Security business that are pending.
If a person has questions about any communication—email, letter, text or phone call—that claims to be from SSA or the OIG, we ask that they contact the 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). Generally, you will have a shorter wait time if you call later during the day or later in the week. Citizens may -also- report that information to the OIG at 1-800-269-0271 or online via https://oig.ssa.gov/report.
Thank you!
Angie
Just received a call from 214-509-6498 from L Foster ID number CA2391, stated he was from the SSA of Texas and was giving me a courteous call to inform me that my ss# was going to be inactivated d/t fraudulent activity – credit cards, money wired to Columbia and Mexico, drug activity. US marshals raided an apt in Texas with my name on the lease and found 22 pounds of cocaine with a street value of 1 billion dollars and that they were issuing a warrant for my arrest BUT they were going to allow me to plead my case with a US marshal over the phone
R.F.
Thank you for sharing, Angie. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC), which receives and analyzes public complaints related to identity theft, recently reported to the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) an increase in reports of suspicious phone calls from people claiming to be SSA employees.
Social Security Administration (SSA) employees occasionally contact citizens by telephone for customer-service purposes. An SSA employee 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 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). Citizens may -also- report that information to the OIG at 1-800-269-0271 or online via https://oig.ssa.gov/report.
Jennifer A.
I received a call from the social security administration (recording) that said my ss# was flagged for fraudulent purposes. I was given a number to call. How do I know this is legitimate?
R.F.
Hello Jennifer, Social Security Administration (SSA) employees occasionally contact citizens by telephone for customer-service purposes. An SSA employee 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.
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC), which receives and analyzes public complaints related to identity theft, recently reported to the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) an increase in reports of suspicious phone calls from people claiming to be SSA employees.
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 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). Citizens may -also- report that information to the OIG at 1-800-269-0271 or online via https://oig.ssa.gov/report. Thanks!
Cynthia S.
Someone called me or my husband did not say which one but said my SSN had been suspended for some reason (their words) and I should call back to this same number she said
T0 call back to this number
1-337-50330
It went to my voice mail I saved the msg.
Does this sound normal?
R.F.
Thank you for sharing this information, Cynthia. Social Security Administration (SSA) employees occasionally contact citizens by telephone for customer-service purposes. An SSA employee may call you in limited situations, such as if you recently filed a claim or have other Social Security business that are pending.
If a person has 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). Citizens may -also- report that information to the OIG at 1-800-269-0271 or online via https://oig.ssa.gov/report.
Thanks again!
Michelle E.
I received a call, stating I need to contact Soc. Sec. immediately due to my “number” coming up fraudulent. As a result all of my assets and payments will be seized. The number was a 466 area code. Any information if i can see if it is legit, also waiting on the phone for 45 min to get cut off is not good practice either. thank you for your time.
R.F.
Hello Michelle, Social Security Administration (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.
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC), which receives and analyzes public complaints related to identity theft, recently reported to the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) an increase in reports of suspicious phone calls from people claiming to be SSA employees.
If a person has 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). Individuals may also report that information to the OIG at 1-800-269-0271 or online via https://oig.ssa.gov/report.
Thank you for bringing this to our attention.
Barbara B.
I am collecting my husbands social security. I want to fie for fall retirement benefits under my name. Hw do I do that?
R.F.
Hello Barbara. Social Security offers an online retirement application that you can complete in as little as 15 minutes. When ready, click here!
Cynthia A.
Is this a legitimate SS representative?
Crystal
855-249-4175 Ext 4015054