Newest Phone Scam: Social Security Administration

SAN ANGELO, TX – The San Angelo Police Department released its newest phone scam alert from www.consumer.ftc.gov. Scammers are claiming to be calling from the Social Security Administration (SSA).

Scammers are spoofing SSA’s 1-800 customer service number to try to get your personal information. Spoofing means that scammers can call from anywhere, but they make your caller ID show a different number, often one that looks legit.

These scam calls are happening across the nation, according to SSA: Your phone rings, and the caller says he works for the Social Security Administration and needs your personal information like your Social Security number to increase your benefits payments, or he threatens to cut off your benefits if you don’t give the information. Although it is the real SSA phone number, it’s not really the Social Security Administration calling.

If you get one of these calls, hang up and remember these tips. Real SSA employees will never threaten you to get personal information. They also won’t promise to increase your benefits in exchange for information. If they do, it’s a scam.

If you have any doubt, hang up and call SSA directly. Call 1-800-772-1213, even though it looks like that is the same number that called you. If a call comes in from that number, you can’t be sure it’s really SSA.

If someone calls claiming to be from SSA and asking for information like your Social Security number, report it to SSA’s Office of Inspector General at 1-800-269-0271 or https://oig.ssa.gov/report. You can also report these calls to the FTC at ftc.gov/complaint.

For more tips, check out the FTC’s How to Stop Unwanted Calls and Government Imposter Scams. If you think someone has misused your personal information, go to IdentityTheft.gov to report identity theft and find out what steps to take.