Beware of ‘criminal activity’ scams

Consumers are getting alarming phone calls from someone who claims to be from law enforcement or Social Security and then scares you into thinking that your Social Security number has been connected to running drugs and money laundering across the border.

The scam tries to convince you that your Social Security number has been suspended because of suspicious activity or because it’s connected to a serious crime.

In some cases, your caller ID may show the real SSA phone number — 800-7721213 — when the scammers call. But again, the con artists are able to spoof this number and make it look more legitimate.

It’s not really Social Security calling.

The scam isn’t just targeting seniors. “It’s happening to everyone and they are targeting all ages,” said Amy Nofziger, AARP fraud expert. “They’re definitely casting a wider net to see if they can get anything.”

The drug bust angle is relatively new but it does have a ring of truth to it. After all, many times you hear that law enforcement discovers Social Security cards and stacks of counterfeit checks as part of some drug bust.

Sometimes, callers play up the various data breaches where your personal data could have been stolen in the past — only to be used now by the criminal element.

Some tricks are designed to make you hand over your Social Security number, which can be used to file fraudulent tax returns to trigger generous tax refunds for the crooks, as well as to open credit cards using your ID.