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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About the Author
Jim Borland, Acting Deputy Commissioner for Communications
Jim Borland, Acting Deputy Commissioner for Communications
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Roger S.
I would like to report a scam
The number 202-280-1769 has call my number multiple times. They say my Social Security will be canceled, and to call back. Persons with an India nature answer.
L.A.
Hi Roger. Thanks for letting us know. Generally, we will only contact you if you have requested a call or have ongoing business with us. Recently, scams—misleading victims into making cash or gift card payments to avoid arrest for Social Security number problems—have skyrocketed. Our employees will never threaten you for information or promise a benefit in exchange for personal information or money.
If you receive a suspicious call like this: 1) Hang up. 2) Do not provide personal information, money, or retail gift cards. 3) Report suspicious calls here. For more information on how to protect yourself, check out our Frequently Asked Questions. We hope this helps.
Heather H.
Is this a legitimate SS phone # 1-866-262-8205? Someone left a voicemail telling me my SS # had fraudulent activity and would be suspended. They asked me to call this #. It sounds like a scam. Can you verify?
L.A.
Hi Heather. Thanks for letting us know. Generally, we will only contact you if you have requested a call or have ongoing business with us. Recently, scams—misleading victims into making cash or gift card payments to avoid arrest for Social Security number problems—have skyrocketed. Our employees will never threaten you for information or promise a benefit in exchange for personal information or money.
If you receive a suspicious call like this: 1) Hang up. 2) Do not provide personal information, money, or retail gift cards. 3) Report suspicious calls here. For more information on how to protect yourself, check out our Frequently Asked Questions. We hope this helps.
Richard W.
Does anyone actually prosecute the perpetrators of these schemes? If not, then evil people will start writing business plans to defraud millions of innocent citizens. Vigilante justice is a bad solution, but perhaps the only one where there is no justice. Unprosecuted fraud skews the outlook of jurors who have sought justice and found none. I believe that there is a “star code” that one can push before they hang up on the scammers, that preserves the call information for the authorities. I would be happy to capture information on the seemingly limitless scammers that call me if I thought anybody cared.
Alan B.
Had one call Nov. 13 and another today Nov. 14. I reported the number yesterday and today’s number is 2819163377 Kemah Tx.
L.A.
Hi Alan. Thanks for letting us know. Generally, we will only contact you if you have requested a call or have ongoing business with us. Recently, scams—misleading victims into making cash or gift card payments to avoid arrest for Social Security number problems—have skyrocketed. Our employees will never threaten you for information or promise a benefit in exchange for personal information or money.
If you receive a suspicious call like this: 1) Hang up. 2) Do not provide personal information, money, or retail gift cards. 3) Report suspicious calls here. For more information on how to protect yourself, check out our Frequently Asked Questions. We hope this helps.
Lorraine L.
Got a voice mail saying l have to talk to a SS Officer about illegal activities and if they do not here from me a lawsuit will be filed against me. The number it came from was 1 877-734-9612.
L.A.
Hi Lorraine. Thanks for letting us know. Generally, we will only contact you if you have requested a call or have ongoing business with us. Recently, scams—misleading victims into making cash or gift card payments to avoid arrest for Social Security number problems—have skyrocketed. Our employees will never threaten you for information or promise a benefit in exchange for personal information or money.
If you receive a suspicious call like this: 1) Hang up. 2) Do not provide personal information, money, or retail gift cards. 3) Report suspicious calls here. For more information on how to protect yourself, check out our Frequently Asked Questions. We hope this helps.
Lisa P.
I received a call, which was a voice recording stating that my Social Security was being frozen and there is a police warrant out for my name. The call was from 713-790-3847. I hung up after the requested prompt for me to speak with an officer due to the suspicion of this call.
L.A.
Hi Lisa. Thanks for letting us know. Generally, we will only contact you if you have requested a call or have ongoing business with us. Recently, scams—misleading victims into making cash or gift card payments to avoid arrest for Social Security number problems—have skyrocketed. Our employees will never threaten you for information or promise a benefit in exchange for personal information or money.
If you receive a suspicious call like this: 1) Hang up. 2) Do not provide personal information, money, or retail gift cards. 3) Report suspicious calls here. For more information on how to protect yourself, check out our Frequently Asked Questions. We hope this helps.
JB M.
Received a call today from phone number +1 325 400 3276 (apparently from Abilene, TX), that I missed.
Not knowing what it was for, I called back. Landed on the “Social Security Administration”, a person responded straight away, a real person. Person spoke really fast with a foreign accent, asking for identification information to retrieve the file… really insistent. I did not respond. When I questioned the person on whether or not the call was legitimate, and to provide me with proof, person gave me an SSA badge number 220497… and did not give me any time to check the data on the SSA website… the person repetitively asked for my First Name, Last Name, and Home Address incl. Zip Code. I realized it was most likely a scam… So I hang up.
I then realized that the caller left a voicemail earlier on (automatic robot voice), stating that I was subject to a criminal offense that needed to be resolved and I was asked to call back the number +1 325 400 3276…
I tried to report the fraud online or on the phone, but process is too complicated and time consuming. So leaving this comment, hoping it will help.
L.A.
Hi JB. Thanks for letting us know. Generally, we will only contact you if you have requested a call or have ongoing business with us. Recently, scams—misleading victims into making cash or gift card payments to avoid arrest for Social Security number problems—have skyrocketed. Our employees will never threaten you for information or promise a benefit in exchange for personal information or money.
If you receive a suspicious call like this: 1) Hang up. 2) Do not provide personal information, money, or retail gift cards. 3) Report suspicious calls here. For more information on how to protect yourself, check out our Frequently Asked Questions. We hope this helps.
Kimberly
Is this a number from Social Security? 1-800-699-7136
L.A.
Hi Kimberly. Thanks for letting us know. We’re sorry, but we do not have a list of all of the possible phone numbers that Social Security uses. Generally, we will only contact you if you have requested a call or have ongoing business with us. Recently, scams—misleading victims into making cash or gift card payments to avoid arrest for Social Security number problems—have skyrocketed. Our employees will never threaten you for information or promise a benefit in exchange for personal information or money.
If you receive a suspicious call like this: 1) Hang up. 2) Do not provide personal information, money, or retail gift cards. 3) Report suspicious calls here. For more information on how to protect yourself, check out our Frequently Asked Questions. We hope this helps.
WILLIAM M.
Received call that my benefits have been stopped, number that called me is: 1-844-24-9290.
L.A.
Hi William. Thanks for letting us know. Generally, we will only contact you if you have requested a call or have ongoing business with us. Recently, scams—misleading victims into making cash or gift card payments to avoid arrest for Social Security number problems—have skyrocketed. Our employees will never threaten you for information or promise a benefit in exchange for personal information or money.
If you receive a suspicious call like this: 1) Hang up. 2) Do not provide personal information, money, or retail gift cards. 3) Report suspicious calls here. For more information on how to protect yourself, check out our Frequently Asked Questions. We hope this helps.
Kevin M.
Just received phone call from “social security “ telephone #410/849-4206
Annapolis Maryland
L.A.
Hi Kevin. Thanks for letting us know. Generally, we will only contact you if you have requested a call or have ongoing business with us. Recently, scams—misleading victims into making cash or gift card payments to avoid arrest for Social Security number problems—have skyrocketed. Our employees will never threaten you for information or promise a benefit in exchange for personal information or money.
If you receive a suspicious call like this: 1) Hang up. 2) Do not provide personal information, money, or retail gift cards. 3) Report suspicious calls here. For more information on how to protect yourself, check out our Frequently Asked Questions. We hope this helps.