Utica PD Warns Of ‘Social Security Scam’ in CNY
There are many reports of fraudulent phone calls from people claiming to be from the Social Security Administration’s (SSA).
Reports say unknown callers are using threatening language about illegal activity with the persons Social Security number (SSN) and will be arrested or face other legal action if they fail to call a provided phone number to address the issue. This is a scam; citizens should not engage with these calls or provide any personal information.
The press release says:
SSA employees do contact citizens, generally those who have ongoing business with SSA, by telephone for customer-service purposes. However, SSA employees will never threaten you for information; they will not state that you face potential arrest or other legal action if you fail to provide information. In those cases, the call is fraudulent, and you should just hang up.
Some of the impersonation calls have “spoofed” SSA’s national customer service phone number, displaying 1-800-772-1213 as the incoming number on caller ID.
Be extremely cautious, and do not provide information such as your SSN or bank account numbers to unknown persons over the phone or internet unless you are certain of who is receiving it. If you receive a suspicious call from someone alleging to be from SSA, you should report it at1-800-269-0271 or online at https://oig.ssa.gov/report.