YOU MAY BE THE NEXT VICTIM OF A "SOCIAL SECURITY" SCAM

You get a call from someone identifying themselves as as employee of the Social Security Administration. (They are not). They say that your Social Security Number (SSN) has been involved in serious illegal activity. You may be told that your Social Security number has been canceled or suspended, and that you will be arrested if you don't "cooperate" to clear up the matter.

This is just one of the common scams that criminals use to steal your money and/or your personal information. This type of call never comes from Social Security or from any other government agency. Social Security will never call you unless you have ongoing business with them or have called them first. They will not suspend your Social Security number. They do not arrest people, and if they did, would never call you and warn you that it was about to happen.

Some things that tip you off that it is a scam:

1. The person calling asks for your name or Social Security Number (They don't know them).

2. You are threatened or harassed.

3. You are asked to send money or provide a credit card number, or to buy gift cards and send them in. The government never calls people to ask for payments.

4. You are asked to provide any personal or confidential information.

WHAT DO DO IF YOU RECEIVE ONE OF THESE CALLS:

We estimate that at least 100,000 of these calls occur every day. They are common. What should you do to protect yourself if you get one of these (or similar) scam calls:

A. Do not talk to the caller. Hang up right away. Get off the phone quickly.

B. Never provide your name, address, date of birth, Social Security number, phone number or any other identifying information. Their goal is to steal your identity. If it was really Social Security they would already have this information. But this caller doesn't know you, not even your name.

C. Never consider sending money or any other form of payment.

D. Don't argue with the caller; just staying on the phone can be risky. Hang up.

HOW THESE SCAM CALLS HAPPEN:

Modern telephone technology allows a caller to dial hundreds of calls per hour using a computerized system. They don't need to know your number. The robo system simply calls every combination of telephone numbers available and eventually your number comes up. These scam artists can fake the number they are calling from to make it appear that they are calling from your area code--even though they are likely in a foreign country. Once they have you on the line, they begin their phishing expedition. They begin with a frightening or shocking accusation: your Social Security number has been reported in serious criminal activity. It must be cleared up immediately to avoid arrest. Now, they have your attention. Once you agree to "cooperate," they will ask you to provide the information they want to steal: your name, Social Security number, address, etc. They usually ask you to provide immediate payment to cancel the arrest warrant that has been or will be placed against you. Of course, if there really was an arrest warrant, paying money would not cancel it. But the entire thing is fake and criminal. No government agency makes this kind of call.

There are several versions of this scam. You might be told that your Social Security benefits are being stopped, reduced or suspended and you must supply certain information to straighten out the problem. Perhaps they will say that you are entitled to a larger benefit, if only they can verify a little basic information (such as your name, Social Security number, date of birth--all information Social Security already has).

Sooner or later, you will get one of these calls. I have received 6 in the last two months. Be prepared to hang up. Blocking the caller on your phone doesn't do much good, because they will call again from another number. Best advice: hang up immediately. Remember, these scam callers don't really know you. They don't know your name, phone number, address, or anything else about you. Their computer dialed your number by luck of the draw. The only thing they will ever know about you is what you tell them. Make certain that is nothing.