San Diego Union-Tribune (Sunday)
HOW NOT TO BECOME A VICTIM OF SOCIAL SECURITY 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 call this past week with reporters. The office has 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.
The government is trying to fight the scourge on several fronts. The Justice Department took legal action in January against two telecommunications companies that serve as “gateways” for illegal robocalls by funneling them to the United States from overseas.
But stopping the calls is challenging. There are many gateway companies, Ennis said, so cracking down on two may just mean the criminals will take their business elsewhere.
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 questions and answers 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. “You don’t want to engage with the scammer,” Saul said.
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 and know the call is legitimate.
Be aware that because of spoofing technology, an apparently legitimate phone number may be fake. Anyone can get a Social Security fraud call, but older people may be more vulnerable because they are more likely to rely on benefits for living expenses, and some schemes threaten a suspension of benefits, said Randal Wolverton, a former FBI agent and a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants’ Fraud Task Force.
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 appear to be coming from the agency, urging people to call a number to resolve a “legal” problem with a Social Security number. But the administration won’t send unsolicited texts asking you to return a call to an unknown number, Ennis said.
The agency sends texts only if you have agreed to receive them and then in limited situations — if, for instance, you have a disability claim that is being reviewed or have signed up to have authentication codes sent to your phone when logging into your Social Security account.
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, which won’t stop illegal calls but can help reduce calls from telemarketers.