The Social Security Administration (SSA) has once again release an alert on a scam.
In a press release this week, the SSA reminds everyone that they will never threaten, scare, or pressure you to take an immediate action. If you receive a call, text or email that threatens to suspend your Social Security number, warns of arrest or legal action, demands or requests immediate payment, requires payment by gift card, prepaid debit card, Internet currency, or by mailing cash, pressures you for personal information, requests secrecy, threatens to seize your bank account, promises to increase your Social Security benefit, or tried to gain your trust by providing fake documents/false evidence/or name of a real government official, IT’S A SCAM!
If you receive such a correspondence, the SSA emphasizes that you remain calm, and hang up the phone or ignore the message. Government employees will not threaten you, demand immediate payment or try to gain your trust by sending you pictures of documents.
Report Social Security-related scams or suspicious calls, texts or emails that mention Social Security to the SSA Office of the Inspector General (OIG). You can also share your knowledge of Social Security-related scams by posting them on social media using the hashtag #SlamtheScam.
For more information, visit oig.ssa.gov/scam.