From Social Security Works (http://www.socialsecurityworks.org/):
We talk a lot about policies that undermine Social Security.
Here’s a new scam, and it’s not coming from Washington, DC: Telephone scammers are scaring seniors―taking advantage of our Social Security system’s role as a reliable foundation of economic security for all of us.
Scammers are asking people to “reactivate” their Social Security numbers by buying gift cards and transferring the codes to the scammers. For once, this isn’t Donald Trump or Mitch McConnell’s fault (that we know of). It’s an old fashioned telephone scam.
So here are the facts:
- Scammers can fake out your caller ID. Just because your phone says that the Social Security Administration is calling you doesn’t mean that they are.
- Government employees will not threaten to take away benefits or ask for money or personal information to protect your Social Security card, number, or benefits.
- Your Social Security number cannot be suspended. It’s the only one you have, for good and for ill.
- No one from the Social Security Administration will call you and ask you to buy gift cards.
- The Social Security Administration will communicate with you by mail, not pre-recorded telephone calls.
- If a caller asks for your Social Security number, bank account number, or credit card information, hang up immediately.
These scams can seem simple, but they can have devastating consequences for older Americans.
From the Washington Post:1
“My mother is 76 and has early Alzheimer’s,” one reader wrote. “She received a call saying that her Social Security information was compromised and that the only way to rectify the situation was to buy $3,200 in gift cards to Target and GameStop and give the codes to an ‘employee.’ She was told the money would be deposited back into her bank account. Obviously, the majority of people would understand that this is a scam, but she is easily confused and gave away all of the money in her checking account. And once it was gone, there was no way to help her or recover the money.”
These scams are scary. Please spread the word to make sure your friends and family are protected.
1 https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2019/08/12/this-social-security-scam-is-just-evil/
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