Watch out for Social Security scams

    Acting Inspector General of Social Security Gale Stallworth Stone is warning citizens about ongoing Social Security Administration impersonation schemes. SSA and the Office of the Inspector General have recently received several reports of suspicious phone calls claiming to be from SSA.
    In one case, an automated recording states the person’s Social Security number “has been suspended for suspicion of illegal activity,” and the person should contact a provided phone number immediately to resolve the issue. The call concludes by stating if the person does not contact the provided phone number, the person’s assets will be frozen until the alleged issue is resolved.
    In another case, a caller claims to be from “SSA headquarters” and waits for the person to provide personal information, such as an SSN, address and date of birth.
    In January, the OIG shared similar information from the Federal Trade Commission, which reported an increase in reports of suspicious phone calls from people claiming to be SSA employees.
    SSA employees may occasionally contact citizens by telephone for customer-service purposes; in most every case, however, the senior citizen may have left a message prior.

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