Office for the Aging Warns of Social Security Phone Scheme

by Contributor | April 26, 2019 12:58 pm

OSWEGO COUNTY – The Oswego County Office for the Aging is warning residents of a nationwide telephone impersonation scheme involving the Social Security Administration.

Social Security and the federal Office of the Inspector General have received reports from across the country about fraudulent phone calls from people falsely claiming to be Social Security employees.

Calls can even “spoof” Social Security’s national customer service number as the incoming number on the caller ID.

Sara Sunday, administrator of the Oswego County Office for the Aging, said Social Security employees do occasionally contact people – generally those who have ongoing business with the agency – by telephone for business purposes.

“However,” she said, “Social Security employees will never threaten a person or promise a Social Security benefit approval, or increase, in exchange for information. In those cases, the call is fraudulent and people should not engage with the caller.”

If a person receives these calls, he or she should report the information to the Office of the Inspector General fraud hotline at 1-800-269-0271 or online at https://oig.ssa.gov/report.

Social Security and the Office of the Inspector General have launched a new Public Service Announcement campaign that will air on TV and radio stations across the country to alert the public to remain vigilant against potential fraud.

“We urge you to always be cautious and to avoid providing sensitive information such as your Social Security number or bank account information to unknown people over the phone or Internet,” said Nancy A. Berryhill, acting commissioner of Social Security. “If you receive a call and are not expecting one, you must be extra careful – you can always get the caller’s information, hang up, and contact the official phone number of the business or agency the caller claims to represent. Do not reveal personal data to a stranger who calls you.”

“These calls appear to be happening across the country, so we appreciate SSA’s partnership in this national public outreach effort,” said Gail S. Ennis, the Inspector General for the Social Security Administration. “Our message to the public is simply this: If you or someone you know receives a questionable call claiming to be from SSA or the OIG, just hang up.”

The new PSA addressing the telephone impersonation scheme is available online at www.youtube.com/socialsecurity.

Source URL: https://oswegocountytoday.com/news/oswego/office-for-the-aging-warns-of-social-security-phone-scheme/

---