You can copy and paste this post (in between the lines), print it out and put it in their mailboxes. Also please share it via text and email messages and posts in social media. We got this call today, July 16, 2019. The scam is currently active in PA.
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Pennsylvania is the 2nd most senior state, after Florida. Pennsylvanians will be the target of “Social Security” scams for many years to come. Don’t answer the phone or email when you are busy, tired or feeling unwell. These states make us particularly vulnerable to this type of “phishing” scam (i.e. “fishing for information.”)
Here’s what to look out for with the latest Social Security scam call.
We received a call today from 1-646-755-1692, a New York, New York phone number. It was a robocall, but to untrained ears it could sound like a recorded human voice. The phone number of this scam changes quickly. You may not receive it from the same phone number, but the scam will basically be the same.
The call attempts to scare the listener into pressing a button to “hear more” about the “suspension” of his or her social security number. The callers want to get you live, on the line, so they can trick you into telling them your Social Security number, banking numbers and other information.
Here is the transcription of the message we received. Your message may be the same or similar:
“This call is from the Department of Social Security Administration. The reason you have received this phone call from our department is to inform you that we just suspend [sic] your Social Security Number because we found some suspicious activity. So if you want to know about this case just press 1. Thank you.”
THIS CALL IS A SCAM. HANG UP.
Do not press 1 to hear more information. Hang up. If you do press 1, you will be routed to a fake call center where a human worker will ask you to verify your Social Security Number and contact information. These workers are well-trained in psychological tricks and techniques to get you to reveal info.
The Social Security Administration (SSA. It is not the “Department of SSA”) will have all of your information if they call you to follow up on a previous Medicare request. If you suspect it is a fake caller, ask them, “Tell me my name and number, please.” The SSA will know exactly who you are and all of your information. Scam callers do not have that info. The point of the scam is to get you to reveal your SSN, your name, your address and your banking information.
Even if it seems the caller has information on you, still be aware. Ask to hang up and then check the SSA website for legitimate contact information at https://www.ssa.gov/agency/contact/ . Don’t ever call back a number the caller gives you. Instead, use the SSA website or previous documents from the SSA to find a legitimate phone number to call.
The SSA also includes this warning on their site:
“Please beware of individuals impersonating Social Security employees over the phone. Reports about fraudulent phone calls from people claiming to be from SSA continue to increase, and recent reports have indicated unknown callers are using increasingly threatening language in these calls. If you suspect you have received a scam call, you should hang up, and then report details of the call to the Office of the Inspector General at 1-800-269-0271 or online at https://oig.ssa.gov/report.”
In general, be wary of any phone number you do not recognize. We here at Havertownies simply don’t answer any strange numbers, and we block them often. If the SSA needs to contact you by phone, they will leave a message with a contact name, a contact number, and the reason for the call. You can also return a message by email, to an address that ends in .gov.
Anyone can be caught on a bad day. If you think you have fallen for this scam, call the Police, and go to the SSA website https://oig.ssa.gov/report-fraud-waste-or-abuse and report the abuse. Call the SSA and ask to speak to an agent.
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Here is the audio of the message: