Did you get your call from the Social Security Administration (SSA)? The one where they told you that your benefits would be turned off unless you bring your profile up-to-date by providing some personal information or paying a fine.
If you did, you are not alone. The SSA put out a PSA within their blog today warning people of the SSA scams taking place, specifically, phone calls.
Remember a few things. When dealing with the US government, including the SSA, they communicate in writing via the United States Postal System. They will provide you with a means to communicate with you, email, telephone, etc. You should verify this. This is important, so I will repeat it. You should verify the address or telephone numbers provided in letters you received from the SSA via your own internet search or white pages search. Sending bogus paper-mail is a path rendered largely obsolete by criminals due to the cost of paper and mailing, but it does happen.
Here’s what the Social Security Administration reminds us:
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Call you to demand an immediate payment;
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Demand that you pay a debt without the ability to appeal the amount you owe;
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Require a specific means of payment, such as requiring you to pay with a prepaid debit card;
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Ask you for your personal information or credit or debit card numbers over the phone; or
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Threaten you with arrest or deportation.
[ctt template=”5″ link=”_Y1Qv” via=”yes” ]Did you get your call from the Social Security Administration? [/ctt]
Want to report fraud or attempted fraud to the SSA? I gathered this data directly from the SSA web page.
REPORT FRAUD to SSA
Reporting is easy, safe, and secure. You can reach us by internet, phone, mail, or facsimile.Internet: Fraud Reporting Form
U.S. Mail: Social Security Fraud Hotline
P.O. Box 17785
Baltimore, Maryland 21235FAX: 410-597-0118
Telephone: 1-800-269-0271 from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time
TTY: 1-866-501-2101 for the deaf or hard of hearing.