{"id":8485,"date":"2023-06-01T13:57:04","date_gmt":"2023-06-01T13:57:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/?p=8485"},"modified":"2023-06-01T13:57:04","modified_gmt":"2023-06-01T13:57:04","slug":"slam-the-scam-with-social-security","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/2023\/06\/01\/slam-the-scam-with-social-security\/","title":{"rendered":"SLAM THE SCAM WITH SOCIAL SECURITY"},"content":{"rendered":"

Social Security Column<\/strong><\/p>\n

By Erin Thompson
\n<\/strong><\/em>Social Security Public Affairs Specialist, Toledo, OH<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

The Social Security Administration and its Office of the Inspector General (OIG) continued to raise public awareness about Social Security imposter scams during the fourth annual \u201cSlam the Scam\u201d Day held in March.\u00a0 Social Security scams \u2014 where fraudsters pressure victims into making cash or gift card payments to fix alleged Social Security number problems or to avoid arrest \u2013 are an ongoing government imposter fraud scheme.\u00a0 For several years, Social Security impersonation scams have been one of the most common government imposter scams reported to the Federal Trade Commission.\u00a0 We\u2019ve made concerted efforts to address this issue, through extensive outreach and investigative initiatives.\u00a0 These efforts have made a significant impact, reducing money reported lost to Social Security scams by 30 percent from 2021 to 2022.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am proud of the work we have done to combat Social Security imposter scams and raise public awareness,\u201d said Kilolo Kijakazi, Acting Commissioner of Social Security.\u00a0 \u201cWe will continue to use every tool at our disposal to protect the public and their critical benefits.\u00a0 We urge Americans to remain vigilant, do not give out personal information or money, and report any scam attempts.\u201d<\/p>\n

Scammers use sophisticated tactics to trick potential victims into disclosing personal and financial information.\u00a0 Typically, they use the five P\u2019s \u2013 Pretend, Prize or Problem, Pressure, and Payment.\u00a0 For example, scammers pretend they are from Social Security in phone calls or emails and claim there is a problem with the person\u2019s Social Security number.\u00a0 The scammer\u2019s caller ID may be spoofed to look like a legitimate government number.\u00a0 Scammers may also send fake documents to pressure people into complying with demands for information or money.\u00a0 Other common tactics include citing \u201cbadge numbers\u201d and using fraudulent Social Security letterhead to target individuals for payment or personal information.<\/p>\n

We will never:<\/p>\n