How not to become a victim of fraud calls

You’ve probably received one: A recorded call warns of a problem with your Social Security number. To fix it and avoid legal action, you’re told, you must call back immediately — and pay up.

Many people know to ignore these calls. But the criminals can be so convincing that some people fall victim to the schemes and end up losing money — often by buying gift cards and revealing their PINs.

It’s not clear whether the volume of calls is increasing, but the government is getting thousands of complaints about them, Gail Ennis, the Social Security Administration’s inspector general, said in a March call with reporters. The office had received about 250,000 online complaints since unveiling a new, dedicated digital reporting form in November.

Other regulators report a flood of reports as well. The Federal Trade Commission says its fraud network received more than 166,000 complaints last year about fraudulent Social Security calls, with individual losses averaging about $1,500. And the Senate’s Special Committee on Aging said Social Security impersonation schemes were the most-reported fraud on its fraud hotline last year.

In January, the committee heard testimony from a Utah woman who was bilked out of $150,000 in a Social Security phone scheme.

“This is a massive problem,” said Andrew Saul, the Social Security commissioner, who also participated in the call with Ennis.

Congress last year passed the TRACED Act (for the Telephone Robocall Abuse Criminal Enforcement and Deterrence Act), which requires telecommunications companies to adopt technology to identify “spoofed” calls — calls that criminals make using phone numbers that mimic legitimate calls on your phone. But the Federal Communications Commission must set rules for how the law is carried out, which will take time. So relief for consumers is probably a year or more away, said Maureen Mahoney, policy analyst for Consumer Reports.

Here are some things to know about fake Social Security calls:

Q: What should I do if I think a call is fraudulent?

A: Don’t answer calls from unfamiliar numbers. Instead, let them go to voicemail — or an answering machine, if you still use one, advised Kathy Stokes, director of fraud prevention programs with AARP. Then listen to the message and delete it if it’s suspicious.

If you do answer the phone and the caller demands money, hang up — don’t give out personal information.

Report the call to the inspector general’s office at the Social Security Administration, online at https://oig.ssa.gov/. The form asks you to create a unique identification number, so if the agency contacts you, you can ask for the number to verify that the call is authentic.

The agency also offers a voice verification service to people who call Social Security’s 800 number. Callers can record their first and last name. Then, when they get a scheduled call back, they will hear their own voice.

Be aware that because of spoofing technology, an apparently legitimate phone number may be fake.

Q: Do the schemes always involve a phone call?

A: Sometimes, criminals email official-looking documents purporting to be Social Security papers, and more recently they have started sending text messages that urging people to call a number to resolve a “legal” problem with a Social Security number. But the administration won’t send unsolicited texts, Ennis said.

Q: How can I avoid getting spam calls?

A: It’s hard to eliminate robocalls, but some tools may help reduce them. Contact your cellphone company about screening tools or filters that can help block or reduce spam calls, the Federal Communications Commission suggests. Consumer Reports suggests trying apps like Nomorobo, which charges a monthly fee for cellphones. Free apps are also available, Consumer Reports notes, but they may require access to your personal contact lists. You can also register your phones on the Federal Trade Commission’s Do Not Call List.