Don’t fall for these Social Security scams
Crooks with autodialers are preying on seniors
Watch out, the Social Security scam is looking like the new IRS scam.
Crooks increasingly are impersonating an official from the Social Security Administration, making harassing calls similar to the annoying Internal Revenue Service calls.
The AARP Fraud Watch Network now has had more complaints to its helpline in the past few months from consumers targeted by Social Security impostors than the old IRS scam, according to Amy Nofziger, AARP fraud expert.
It shouldn’t be surprising, especially after some successful crackdowns on the widespread IRS impersonation scam. The IRS impostor scam – which began heating up in late 2013 – enabled scammers to steal more than $73.6 million from 14,958 victims over time through late November 2018, according to the office of the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration.
Scam calls aren’t going away. Nearly half of all calls to mobile phones are expected to be fraudulent in one way or another in 2019, according to First Orion, a provider of phone call and data transparency solutions.
Now, retirees and others need to be aware that fake phone calls could be from someone pretending to be from Social Security, too.
“The scammers are constantly changing their tactics,” Nofziger said. “Perhaps they’ve just changed their script.”
Scammers are getting ahead for two reasons: technology and tactics.
Crooks have the ability to spoof caller IDs to make it look like you’re being contacted by a legitimate source. In addition, they have access to robocall technology to make millions of calls. They can just keep calling and calling until they get someone to pay up or hand over personal information.
I had a call the other day that showed up looking like it was voice message from major bank. But when you listened to the voicemail, it was someone prom- ising to let me receive a “55 percent reduction on my current account.” And the fraudsters had spoofed a local number from that bank.
In the Social Security scam, they’re spoofing the 800-number for the Social Security Administration.
In some cases, con artists have demanded that the consumer put hundreds of dollars on gift cards to obtain a new Medicare card, which is free.
In others, crooks suggest that somehow you’re going to lose Social Security benefits and demand personal information in order to keep those benefits.
When it comes to tactics, the crooks know that many times they can catch us off guard.
Seniors may face memory problems or feel uncertain about their abilities to handle important things, like taxes or Social Security. Fear plays a big role in many pitches.
Anyone can be tricked into thinking that somehow they made some big mistake with their taxes.
In the IRS scam, the impersonators claim to be IRS employees and then demand that someone pay taxes owed via iTunes cards, Google Play or other gift cards. Some of the con artists are based in the United States, but others are in India and elsewhere.
The criminals may threaten to arrest or deport someone or revoke a driver’s license if they don’t get payment.
Social Security can trigger similar trepidation. It’s hard to imagine any retiree who wouldn’t get rattled by a robocall leaving this message: “We had to suspend your Social Security number for suspicious activity, press one to continue.”
Lose benefits? It’s a threat that many feel they cannot afford to ignore. About
63 million Americans received $1 trillion in Social Security benefits in 2018.
Among the elderly receiving benefits, Social Security represents half or more of the monthly income of 48 percent of married couples and 69 percent of unmarried persons. For some retirees, of course, the Social Security check is the main source of monthly income.
Some clues to the Social Security scams:
❚ Sometimes, the number on your caller ID can show up as 800-772-1213. It’s a legitimate number but that doesn’t mean the call isn’t from a scammer.
❚ If someone asks for information in order to make sure that you get a bigger Social Security check each month, it’s a fraud.
❚ Social Security also isn’t going to call and threaten to terminate your benefits.
❚ Some crooks claim that the Social Security computers are down and they need you to help to provide some information. A huge red flag – Social Security already has your Social Security number and won’t be calling to ask you to hand over that number to them.
❚ If you receive a suspicious call from someone alleging to be from the Social Security Administration, you should report that information to the Office of the Inspector General for Social Security at
800-269-0271 for the Social Security fraud hotline. Or you can make a fraud report online at oig.ssa.gov/report.
Reports of the scam are sweeping the country. Consumers can spot some incidents via the AARP Fraud Watch Network at www.aarp.org/FraudWatch- Network. The site has a Scam Tracking map.
A Michigan consumer complained about a persistent caller who claimed to be returning a call about an inquiry involving Social Security benefits.
“I never inquired, so I hung up,” the consumer reported to the AARP Fraud Watch Network.
“I blocked the number but (am) getting calls every day from a number that’s one digit different,” the consumer reported.
Why now?
The Social Security scam might be gaining some steam during Medicare Open Enrollment for 2019, said Nofziger, the AARP fraud expert.
In addition, Social Security beneficiaries recently learned that they are getting a 2.8 percent cost-of-living ad- justment beginning in January. It amounts to a nearly extra $40 a month for the average benefit for retired workers.
And new Medicare cards – without Social Security numbers – are being issued now. Medicare isn’t calling you asking for information – or money on gift cards – to get those new cards.
All these new developments give fraudsters more of a chance to cook up a scheme, such as claiming that Social Security needs to get your Social Security number over the phone to clear up a problem.
Sometimes, crooks say they need your information so they can increase your Social Security check.
“They’re using high-pressure fear tactics,” Nofziger said. “They get under that emotional ether.”
The IRS impostor scam – which began heating up in late 2013 – enabled scammers to steal more than $73.6 million from 14,958 victims over time through late November 2018, according to the office of the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration.