National “Slam the Scam” Day

Gail S. Ennis (seen in the below photo), the Inspector General for the Social Security Administration (SSA) off the below warning about scams:

Today is National “Slam the Scam” Day! 

What does that mean?

We created National “Slam the Scam” Day to warn Americans about widespread phone scams where callers impersonate government officials, most often Social Security, to gain your trust and steal your money.  The most effective way to defeat scammers is by knowing how to identify scams, then hanging up or ignoring the calls.

What you can do

If you get a Social Security scam phone call, hang up, report it to my office at https://oig.ssa.gov, and tell your family and friends about it!

Today and every day, we are telling as many people as we can that government agencies will never:

§  Call you unsolicited to suspend your Social Security number, tell you about crimes committed in your name, or offer to resolve identity theft or a benefit problem in exchange for payment.

§  Insist you pay fines, fees, or debts immediately with retail gift cards, prepaid debit cards, wire transfers, internet currency, or by mailing cash.

§  Insist on secrecy about a legal problem, or tell you to make up stories to tell family, friends, or store employees.

These scammers continue to develop new ways to mislead you.  They might use the names of Social Security officials and tell you look them up on our public websites (where they learned the names themselves).  Or, they might email you official-looking documents with a letterhead that looks like it’s from Social Security or Social Security’s Office of the Inspector General (OIG).  Don’t believe them! Social Security will NEVER email you attachments that have your personal information in them.

If you ever owe money to Social Security, the agency will mail you a letter, explaining your payment options and your appeal rights.  If you get a call about a Social Security problem, be very cautious.  If you do not have ongoing business with the agency, or if the caller mentions suspending your Social Security number or makes other threats, the call is a scam. Ignore it, hang up, and report it to us.  We are working to stop the scams and educate people to avoid becoming victims.

Tonight at 7 p.m. Eastern time, I will be on Facebook Live with Social Security and the Federal Trade Commission to talk about National “Slam the Scam” Day and all that we’re doing to fight Social Security phone scams.  

Follow Social Security — and the Social Security OIG — on Facebook and Twitter, to stay up-to-date on Social Security scams as well as all of our work to prevent fraud, waste, and abuse in Social Security programs.  Visit https://oig.ssa.gov/scam for more information.

Social Security Administration Warns Of Emailed Fake Documents In New Twist To Social Security Phone Scams

The Inspector General of Social Security, Gail S. Ennis, is warning the public that telephone scammers may send faked documents by email to convince victims to comply with their demands. The Social Security Administration Office of the Inspector General (OIG) has received reports of victims who received emails with attached letters and reports that appeared to be from Social Security or Social Security OIG. The letters may use official letterhead and government “jargon” to convince victims they are legitimate; they may also contain misspellings and grammar mistakes.

This is the latest variation on Social Security phone scams, which continue to be widespread throughout the United States. Using robocalls or live callers, fraudsters pretend to be government employees and claim there is identity theft or another problem with one’s Social Security number, account, or benefits. They may threaten arrest or other legal action, or may offer to increase benefits, protect assets, or resolve identity theft. They often demand payment via retail gift card, cash, wire transfer, internet currency such as Bitcoin, or pre-paid debit card.

Inspector General Ennis urges continued vigilance against all types of phone scams no matter what “proof” callers may offer. As we continue to increase public awareness of phone scams, criminals will come up with new ways to convince people of their legitimacy. Social Security will never:

• threaten you with arrest or other legal action unless you immediately pay a fine or fee;
• promise a benefit increase or other assistance in exchange for payment;
• require payment by retail gift card, cash, wire transfer, internet currency, or prepaid debit card; or
• send official letters or reports containing personally identifiable information via email.

If there is ever a problem with your Social Security number or record, in most cases Social Security will mail you a letter. If you do need to submit payments to Social Security, the agency will send a letter with instructions and payment options. You should never pay a government fee or fine using retail gift cards, cash, internet currency, wire transfers, or pre-paid debit cards. The scammers ask for payment this way because it is very difficult to trace and recover.

If you receive a call or email that you believe to be suspicious, about a problem with your Social Security number or account, hang up or do not respond. We encourage the public 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 spread awareness about phone scams. For more information, please visit https://oig.ssa.gov/scam.

Social Security Administration's Inspector General Warns Public About Caller ID “Spoofing” of Social Security Fraud Hotline Phone Number

The Social Security Administration released the below advisory:

The Inspector General of Social Security, Gail S. Ennis, is warning citizens about a caller-ID “spoofing” scheme misusing the Social Security Administration (SSA) Office of the Inspector General’s (OIG) Fraud Hotline phone number. 

The OIG has received recent reports of phone calls displaying the Fraud Hotline number on a caller-ID screen. This is a scam; OIG employees do not place outgoing calls from the Fraud Hotline 800 number. Citizens should not engage with these calls or provide personal information.

SSA and OIG employees do contact citizens by telephone for official purposes, and they may request the citizen confirm personal information over the phone. However, the calls do not appear on caller ID as the Fraud Hotline number of (800) 269-0271. Also, SSA and OIG employees will never threaten you for information or promise any type of official action in exchange for personal information or payment.  In those cases, the call is fraudulent, and you should just hang up.

If you receive a suspicious call from someone alleging to be from SSA or OIG, you should report that information to the OIG online at https://oig.ssa.gov/report or by calling (800) 269-0271, Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Eastern Time. You can also report these scams to the Federal Trade Commission through a new site specific to Social Security scams:  https://identitytheft.gov/ssa