Social Security Suspension Scams

Good morning and welcome back to Fraud Fridays!

Today, we will be covering Social Security Suspension Scams.

A caller claims to be from the government and your Social Security number (SSN) has been suspended. They sound very professional. You should do exactly what he says to fix things…right? Wrong.

This is a variant of a Government Impostor Scam aiming to get your full social security number, financial institution account numbers, and other personal information. Let's get this straight right away, Social Security Numbers DO NOT get suspended. Often times, scammers will try to convince you that they are trying to protect you from scams. This is not the case. They are actively, and maliciously, luring you into their scam.

Here are a few tips to protect yourself:

-Never give out or confirm personal information over the phone, via email or on a website until you’ve checked out whoever is asking you for it.

-Do not trust a name, phone number, or email address just because it seems to be connected with the government. Con artists use official-sounding names and may fake caller ID or email address information to make you trust them. Besides, the government normally contacts people by postal mail. They already know where you live. Why would they go out of their way to use unofficial channels?

-Contact government agencies directly, using telephone numbers and website addresses you know to be legitimate.

If someone has tried to steal your personal information by pretending to be from the government, report it to the FTC.