Social Security Scams
from the Social Security of Public Affairs Representative, Minneapolis-St. Paul
Unfortunately, there always seem to be crooks who are trying to
put something over on us and take our money. While anyone can be
a target for such scam artists, seniors are often among the most
vulnerable.
Social Security has recently issued a warning about several scams
that have surfaced throughout the United States. Our agency has received
many reports about telephone calls or visits from people who falsely
claim to be Social Security employees. In each case, the person attempted
to obtain personal information, such as a Social Security or bank
account number, from the Social Security recipient.
The scam artists who identify themselves as Social Security employees
have used a variety of approaches to get personal information. In
one case, a caller said that Social Security was experiencing a power
outage and needed to verify the person=s information. In another,
the caller posed as an employee who needed to verify the person direct
deposit information.
In a third scam, Social
Security recipients were told that their monthly benefit payments
were being cut because they have inherited a house from a relative
- an event which, by the way, would not result in a reduction
of Social Security benefits. To help make the fraud seem authentic,
the caller then placed the person on hold and played the same on-hold
recordings used by Social Security. When the caller got back on
the line, the recipients were then told that proceeds from the
sale of the house will be sent to them if they pay the back taxes.
Basically, we advise you to always take precautions when giving
out personal information. You should never provide your Social Security
number or other personal information over the telephone unless you
initiated the contact, or are confident of the person to whom you
are speaking. If in doubt, do not release information without first
verifying the validity of the call.
Social Security Commissioner Jo Anne Barnhart, has said that she
finds it very troubling that our most vulnerable citizens are being
targeted by these unscrupulous people. I caution everyone to be extremely
careful about releasing personal information. If there is any doubt
at all about someone who claims to be a Social Security representative,
we recommend contacting your local Social Security office or calling
Social Security toll-free number at 1-800-772-1213 to verify the
legitimacy of the call. (If you are deaf or hard of hearing, call
Social Security's TTY number at 1-800-325-0778.)
In the meantime, our Office of Inspector General (OIG) is working
closely with other Social Security officials to investigate all reports
of suspicious activity. To report suspicious activity, please call
the OIG Hotline at 1-800-269-0271. (If you are deaf or hard of hearing,
call the OIG TTY number at 1-866-501-2101.) A Public Fraud Reporting
form is also available online at the OIG website: http://www.socialsecurity.gov/oig/.
