Scams Involving SSA Employee Impersonators
The Social Security Administrating (SSA) Office of the Inspector General reports that they sometimes receive reports about individuals who have been contacted by someone impersonating an SSA employee. The Office of the Inspector General (OIG) believes that the intent of this type of telephone call may be to steal your identity and/or money from your bank accounts. The caller generally asks for personal information such as your Social Security number, date of birth, your mother’s maiden name, or your bank or financial account information.
The OIG goes on to state that it is possible that an SSA employee may contact you to follow-up on a previous application for SSA/Medicare Part D benefits or follow-up on other business you initiated with SSA. If you are unsure as to the authenticity of someone who claims to be an SSA employee, the OIG suggests calling SSA’s toll-free number, 1-800-772-1213, to verify the reason for the contact and the person’s identity prior to providing any information to the caller.
If you wish to report a call from someone you suspect is impersonating an SSA employee, please provide the following details:
- Caller’s alleged name
- Caller’s telephone number
- Time and date the call was made
- Information requested by the caller
- Other identifying information or details about the content of the call
