Frauds & Scams

Social Security is Taking Action to Prevent Scam Calls

March 6, 2020 • By

Reading Time: 1 Minute

Last Updated: March 6, 2020

Social Security phone scams are the number one type of fraud reported to the Federal Trade Commission.  Callers claim that you have a problem with your Social Security number or benefits and demand immediate payment from you to avoid arrest or other legal action.

We recently announced two landmark civil complaints, filed by the Department of Justice in the Eastern District of New York, seeking injunctions against five telecommunications companies and their owners.  The complaints allege the companies and their owners have, for years, knowingly facilitated government imposter telephone scams.  The Department of Justice issued a news release about the filing and request for court orders, and held a press call with U.S. Attorney Richard Donaghue, Inspector General Gail S. Ennis, and Chief Postal Inspector Gary Barksdale.

If granted, the court orders will prevent the five enjoined companies from continuing to allow “the delivery of millions of fraudulent ‘robocalls’ every day from foreign call centers to the U.S. telecommunications system.”

You can read the entire press release at oig.ssa.gov/newsroom/news-releases/inspector-general-announces-civil-action-prevent-social-security-scam-calls

If you receive a call or email about a problem with your Social Security number or account that you believe to be suspicious, hang up or do not respond.  We encourage you to report Social Security phone scams using our dedicated online form at https://oig.ssa.gov.  Please share this information with your friends and family to help them learn how to protect themselves from phone scams.  For more information, please visit https://oig.ssa.gov/scam.

 

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About the Author

Tracy Lynge, Communications Director for the Office of the Inspector General

About Tracy Lynge, Communications Director for the Office of the Inspector General

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Comments

  1. Lois E.

    I get them too

  2. MARIA

    I just got another message with the following statements from officer Max Reed, badge #805843;
    “I WILL GIVE YOU LAST CHANCE. IF YOU HAVE A GOOD INTENTION TO CO-OPERATE WITH US SO CALL ME BACK AS SOON AS POSSIBLE ON MY DESK NUMBER #503-994-6611. HE ADDED TO KEEP THIS CONFIDENTIAL AND NOT TO EVEN TELL MY FAMILY.

  3. Maria

    I received over 10 calls and text with the threats that if I don’t act quickly and pay them, I will be arrested. He claimed to be officer Max Reed (but he spoke with an Indian accent – Phone# 5039946611). I even received an arrest affidavit via text…

    • Vonda V.

      Thanks for letting us know, Maria. 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.

  4. onlinehefaz

    thanks
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  5. Consulenza E.

    Yes.. but not only telephone scams but also with the internet .. you have to be careful of email marketing and other web activities.

  6. Shubham

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  7. Luis C.

    Hello We are receiving phone calls from 570-831-1296 turns out to be from PA, but the number the person leaves is 855-249-4342 with an extension 2085405 where the agent states that he can be reached from 3 pm to 11 pm? Is there anyway these numbers can be verified? When I contacted the SSA at 1-800-772-1213 and spoke to Tracy she had no way of verifying if the phone # was in deed part of SSA??? this truly concerns us, How do we know if this is a SCAM???

    • Vonda V.

      Hi Luis, thank you for checking in with us. 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.
      For more information on how to protect yourself, check out our Frequently Asked Questions. We hope this helps.

      • Craig

        I received same email. Your answer is non-responsive. Is 1-855-249-4342 a valid SSA number?

        • Ann C.

          Hi, Craig. We’re sorry but we do not have a list of all of the possible phone numbers that Social Security uses. What we can tell you is that we do not usually make random calls. If someone calls you saying that they are from Social Security, do not give them your personal information. Instead, contact your local Social Security office or call 1-800-772-1213 to see whether we really need any information from you. We hope this helps.

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  9. michaeldcrump

    ure unity sucks

  10. Kathy

    I am receiving social security based on a combination of my and my husbands benefits. I am not yet full retirement age. If my husband dies before I reach full retirement what is the process to elect to delay receiving survivor benefits until full retirement age.

Comments are closed.