Feb. 6, 2019 – West Bend, WI – West Bend Police are warning neighbors about a scam involving fradulent phone calls to people in the community from someone identifying as an employee from Social Security Administration. A note from WBPD is below.
Elena Gonzales-Walker, Public Affairs Specialist with Social Security Administration, advised West Bend Police that they have noticed an increase of fraudulent Social Security Administration calls in the area. Callers are identifying themselves as Social Security Administration employees. They are requesting you to provide personal information over the phone. These callers are threating to “cancel” your Social Security number if you do not comply. Please see the “Dear Colleague” letter below from the Social Security Administration and share the information with others.
Dear Colleague,
In the digital age, frauds and scams are an unfortunate part of doing business online. Social Security has seen a spike in phishing scams, and we want to protect you as best we can.
Please take note; there’s a Social Security impersonation scam going around right now.
You might receive a call from someone claiming to be from Social Security—it is critical that you pay attention to the tone and content of the message from the caller. In some cases, the caller states that Social Security does not have all of your personal information, such as your Social Security number (SSN), on file. Other callers claim Social Security needs additional information so the agency can increase your benefit payment, or they threaten that Social Security will terminate your benefits if they do not confirm your information. This appears to be a widespread issue, as reports have come from people across the country. These calls are not from Social Security.
If you receive a call from someone claiming to be from Social Security, we urge you to always be cautious and to avoid providing sensitive information such as your SSN or bank account information. Never reveal personal data to a stranger who calls you, and never send the stranger money via wire transfer or gift cards.
Social Security employees occasionally contact people by telephone for customer-service purposes, usually when they have business pending with us. In some cases, also usually known by a person, a Social Security employee may request the person confirm personal information over the phone.
However, Social Security employees will never threaten you for information; they will not state that you face potential arrest or other legal action if you fail to provide information or pay a fee. In those cases, the call is fraudulent, and you should just hang up. If you receive these calls, please report the information to the Office of the Inspector General at 1-800-269-0271 or online at oig.ssa.gov/report.
Remember, only call official phone numbers and use secured websites of the agencies and businesses you know are correct. Protecting your information is an important part of Social Security’s mission to secure today and tomorrow.
Sincerely,
Doug Nguyen
Regional Communications Director
@SSAOutreach
Graphic courtesy Social Security Administration