The scam of social security that will not die

Millions of Americans rely on Social Security to support themselves after retirement. And it is extremely important to protect your social security benefits because, unfortunately, many criminals attack older Americans for the purpose of stealing valuable personal and financial information. With this information, thieves can cause all kinds of havoc in your life, as can be witnessed by anyone who has been a victim of identity theft.

Criminals are trying to use social security to do silly things. But there is one in particular who simply does not want to die. On several occasions over the last two years, the Office of the Inspector General of the Social Security Administration (SSA) has warned Americans against crooks seeking to obtain vital information by adopting a simple strategy:

Source of the image: Getty Images.

How does this social security scam work?

Gale Stallworth Stone, the Acting Inspector General of the Social Security Administration, says the programs all involve suspicious phone calls that claim to come from an SSA department. The first stage of the scam usually consists of an automated message featuring someone who says that the Office of the Inspector General or Social Security in the broad sense had to suspend your account, your number and your benefits. The message does not provide details, but indicates that you must call a separate phone number to resolve outstanding issues.

If you make the mistake of calling the number provided in the message, you will get even more bad news. In some cases, the criminal at the other end of the line tells you that a warrant is pending for your arrest. To solve the problem, you need to buy prepaid gift cards or debit cards and provide criminal financial information. Victims who follow these instructions end up losing the hundreds of dollars they spend to purchase these gift cards and prepaid cards.

Some scammers are more subtle. Rather than asking you to send money or other valuables, the criminal simply begins to ask you to verify your personal information. This can be even more sinister, because if you mistakenly think that you are talking to an SSA employee, you may not even think that the person at the other end of the line could not have all this information there. already. Before you know it, you may have given up your social security number, date of birth, and other information most commonly used by financial institutions to protect your bank accounts, credit cards, and other financial information. credit and your investments.

Always be on guard

One thing that some older Americans have trouble understanding is that the time spent trusting anyone on the phone is over. As the Inspector General SSA explains, there are only a few special situations in which officials call people to confirm personal information, and you should already know that such a call comes before you know it. it is not done. Most people will never receive an official call from a government agency because entities like the SSA and the Internal Revenue Service use mail more often for official communications.

The most important point is that you should never call someone who claims to be a government official until you have verified that the phone number they have assigned is legitimate. The SSA invites you to call 1-800-772-1213 or contact your local Social Security office directly if you wish to confirm if any of the agency has actually contacted you. If you have been scammed, call the Inspector General at 1-800-269-0271 to report it.

Do not fall into the scams

Older Americans are often the target of criminals, and given the importance of social security for retirees, it is not surprising to find fraudsters who use the program to get your financial and personal information. Knowing that crooks are the most likely to fool their victims, it is easier to watch them if they target you.