Details

Written by John Johnston John Johnston

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 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 prepaid debit card.

Ennis urges continued vigilance against all types of phone scams no matter what “proof” callers may offer.

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

• 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 prepaid debit cards. The scammers ask for payment this way because it is very difficult to trace and recover.

If you receive a suspicious call or email 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.

Other ways to report fraud including calling (800) 269-0271 weekdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. or (866) 501-2101 for TTY; or by sending mail to Social Security Fraud Hotline, P.O. Box 17785, Baltimore, MD 21235.

For more information, please visit https://oig.ssa.gov/scam.

 

John Johnston is a Social Security public affairs specialist.