{"id":23209,"date":"2020-02-04T14:26:57","date_gmt":"2020-02-04T22:26:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.spokeo.com\/compass\/?p=23209"},"modified":"2022-09-09T09:27:54","modified_gmt":"2022-09-09T17:27:54","slug":"protecting-yourself-from-social-security-scam-calls-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.spokeo.com\/compass\/protecting-yourself-from-social-security-scam-calls-2\/","title":{"rendered":"What to Know About Social Security Scam Calls"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Among current phone scams, one of the most damaging comes from callers claiming that there\u2019s a problem with your Social Security number. Sometimes they\u2019ll identify themselves as investigators with the Social Security Administration (SSA) itself, or they may pose as law-enforcement officers. The calls are alarming and make a convincing case for immediate action, which is why they\u2019re so successful. Here\u2019s how to spot those scam calls if you receive one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Scam Calls From Social Security<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The Social Security scam is increasingly common, and it\u2019s effective. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) recorded 3,200 complaints about the scam in 2017, but by the end of 2018 that number had ballooned to 35,000. Collectively, those victims reported $10 million in losses, which means the scammers are indeed making out like bandits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The calls may be automated robocalls or may come directly from a human. The story changes, but the bottom line is the same: There\u2019s a problem with your Social Security number or benefits, and they need your personal information in order to fix it. You can listen to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.consumer.ftc.gov\/blog\/2018\/12\/what-social-security-scam-sounds\">an actual recording<\/a> of a sample call on the FTC\u2019s website, if you\u2019d like to hear one for yourself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Recognizing the Scam<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The scammers sound plausible, and some may even use digital trickery to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.spokeo.com\/compass\/what-is-email-spoofing-learn-how-to-protect-yourself\/\">spoof<\/a> caller ID into showing the SSA\u2019s actual phone number, 800-772-1213. So how can you tell when the call comes from a scammer? It\u2019s very simple: they\u2019ll do, or ask for, things <a href=\"https:\/\/blog.ssa.gov\/beware-of-scammers-pretending-to-be-social-security\/\">the real SSA<\/a> won\u2019t. A few of those things are outlined below.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>The call itself:<\/strong> The real SSA very seldom contacts individuals, and on those rare occasions it\u2019s almost always in response to an inquiry you\u2019ve made. So unless you yourself have recently reached out to the SSA, it\u2019s probably a scam.<\/li><li><strong>The pitch:<\/strong> Callers may offer a carrot or a stick. Some claim you\u2019re owed an increase in benefits, others that you\u2019re at risk of suspension or even prosecution. Either way, they need your personal information to help you out. Real SSA employees will never do this, period.<\/li><li><strong>The request:<\/strong> The caller may ask for your Social Security number, or perhaps just to verify the last four digits of the full number. You may also be asked for other personal information, including a phone number or banking information. Again, real SSA staffers will never do this.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The Law-Enforcement Variation<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>In another common variation of this scam, callers claim to be from the police or another law-enforcement agency. They\u2019ll tell you that your Social Security number has been used in the commission of crimes, and then proceed to interrogate you about your potential involvement. They may also tell you an arrest warrant has been issued.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>After you\u2019ve had a few minutes to make a case for your innocence, they\u2019ll relent and offer to help you disentangle your life and finances from the criminal investigation. That\u2019s when they\u2019ll start digging for your personal information. They may also suggest that you move to an encrypted messaging app \u2014 \u201cfor your security\u201d \u2014 before hitting you up for your banking information.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you get a call like this, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fbi.gov\/contact-us\/field-offices\/portland\/news\/press-releases\/oregon-fbi-tech-tuesday-building-a-digital-defense-against-social-security-number-scams\">the FBI\u2019s advice<\/a> is blunt and simple: Assume it\u2019s a scam, because real law-enforcement agencies don\u2019t do this.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What to Do If You\u2019re Called<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Hang up!<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>If you receive one of these calls, the best way to play it is simply to hang up. If you want to be sure you are not in fact in any legal trouble, don\u2019t call a number you\u2019re given by the potential scammer. Instead, look up the agency\u2019s legitimate phone number and call in directly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If the scammer gives you any contact information at all, you can turn that to your advantage. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.spokeo.com\/\">Spokeo\u2019s search tools<\/a> can often track down the shady figures behind a phone number, email address, alias or messaging-service handle. Not only does this confirm that the call is fraudulent, it gives you useful information to pass along when you report the incident.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">File a Report<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Ultimately, reporting the call is one of the most important things you can do. It helps law-enforcement agencies track the progress of the scam, gives them insight into any new tactics the scammers evolve over time, and helps them better protect citizens from the scammers\u2019 efforts. If you\u2019ve received any variation of the Social Security scam call, you can (and should) report it to any or all of these agencies:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>The FTC, at its <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ftccomplaintassistant.gov\/#crnt&amp;panel1-1\">Complaint Assistant<\/a><\/li><li>The FBI, at its <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ic3.gov\/default.aspx\">Internet Crime Complaint Center<\/a><\/li><li>The Social Security Administration, through the <a href=\"https:\/\/oig.ssa.gov\/report\">Office of the Inspector General<\/a><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">References:&nbsp;<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.consumer.ftc.gov\/blog\/2018\/12\/what-social-security-scam-sounds\">https:\/\/www.consumer.ftc.gov\/blog\/2018\/12\/what-social-security-scam-sounds<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/blog.ssa.gov\/beware-of-scammers-pretending-to-be-social-security\/\">https:\/\/blog.ssa.gov\/beware-of-scammers-pretending-to-be-social-security\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.fbi.gov\/contact-us\/field-offices\/portland\/news\/press-releases\/oregon-fbi-tech-tuesday-building-a-digital-defense-against-social-security-number-scams\">https:\/\/www.fbi.gov\/contact-us\/field-offices\/portland\/news\/press-releases\/oregon-fbi-tech-tuesday-building-a-digital-defense-against-social-security-number-scams<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Among current phone scams, one of the most damaging comes from callers claiming that there\u2019s a problem with your Social Security number. Sometimes they\u2019ll identify themselves as investigators with the&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":112,"featured_media":23567,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[614],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-23209","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-safety"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v24.9 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>What to Know About Social Security Scam Calls - The Compass Blog | Digital Identity and People Search | Spokeo<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.spokeo.com\/compass\/protecting-yourself-from-social-security-scam-calls-2\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"What to Know About Social Security Scam Calls - The Compass Blog | Digital Identity and People Search | Spokeo\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Among current phone scams, one of the most damaging comes from callers claiming that there\u2019s a problem with your Social Security number. Sometimes they\u2019ll identify themselves as investigators with the&hellip;\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.spokeo.com\/compass\/protecting-yourself-from-social-security-scam-calls-2\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"The Compass Blog | Digital Identity and People Search | Spokeo\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Spokeo\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2020-02-04T22:26:57+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2022-09-09T17:27:54+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.spokeo.com\/compass\/image\/WhattoKnowAboutSocialSecurityScamCalls_2260x1160-1-scaled.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"800\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"411\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Fred Decker\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@Spokeo\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@Spokeo\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Fred Decker\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.spokeo.com\/compass\/protecting-yourself-from-social-security-scam-calls-2\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.spokeo.com\/compass\/protecting-yourself-from-social-security-scam-calls-2\/\",\"name\":\"What to Know About Social Security Scam Calls - 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