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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Alexandra
I received a call from the social security number and it left an automated number threatening me. Is this still a scam? I called back and did give the automated assistant my social (but it’s the number you have listed). And now I’m very worried…
Thank you,
JOHN S.
IM A SENIOR ON SOCIAL SECURITY RECIVED A CALL FROM SS IVESTIGATION DEPT SAYING THAT I OWE MONEY THE NUMBER I WAS TO CAL SUPOSLY SS DEPT IS 1 415 985 8796 IS THIS A SCAM ARTIST
V.V.
John, thank you for checking in with us. 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 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 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.
Stacey H.
Received a phone call from Soc Security saying my SS # has been suspended due to fraud activity in Texas…. Call from 281 402 8617. They have my name..Stacey Hershfield. Call came in at 7:30 a.m. here in Sacramento, Ca.. Pleased help me. They quoted a wrong address as my address. I told them I doubted the veracity of the call and said I’d call Soc. Sec.
V.V.
Stacey, thank you for checking in with us. 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 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 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.
cliff K.
I’m receiving a phone call from a social security employee after hours and on the weekends. It goes to voice mail. Asking for recent pay stubs and an estimate on how much will I get paid for December. I can’t guess that it hasn’t happened yet. I’m tired of this person contacting me When I work.
Catherine L.
I just received a call from S.S. saying my S S. Was being stopped. I immediately hung up but the strange thing is it came up on my phone from the S.S. number that I have on my phone. Should I be worried.
Cynthia L.
Keep getting phone calls from this number 1-760-304-8490 saying they are from the social security and i need to contact them right away
Carrol E.
On 11/8/2018, 12:41 PM, I received a cell phone call from 850-260-3265 stating the call was from Social Security Administration and that my social security number had suspicious activity and if I didn’t contact this telephone number above, I could have my Social Security number & assets suspended. I have been trying several times today to contact the “real” Social Security Adm & cannot get through on the lines. I held 52 mins the 1st time. I don’t believe this call was from you, but wanted to check to be sure. I have provided the telephone number above and, hopefully, it will be of some importance to the Administration. If my SS# has been illegally used or suspended, you can reach me at 1-864-415-1417 or 864-285-4060, or use the email address below. Thank you very much.
R.F.
Thank you for sharing tis information, Carrol. 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 receives a suspicious call from someone alleging to be from SSA, citizens may report that information to the OIG at 1-800-269-0271 or online via https://oig.ssa.gov/report.
eb
I just got a call from 1800-761-6591 on my cell phone claiming they are from Social Security Administration and that there were fraudulent activities reported.
Marilyn J.
I received a message and an email requesting information but the email has a different name. Is this a scam?
Jim D.
I am trying to verify a ssi phone number. Why doesn’t this web page have a link to a list of valid phone numbers so we can verify legitimate phone numbers.
Note, this is to verify call back numbers from unsolicited phone calls, and not to find local office number.