Dublin Police Chief Targeted By Social Security Scam

DUBLIN, CA — Dublin's Police Chief Garrett Holmes was targeted by a Social Security phone scammer, so the department is reminding residents that they could be next. Last weekend, the chief got a call from New York area code 917 in which the caller left a voicemail stating that his Social Security number was being suspended due to suspicious activity. The message instructed him to press 1 to get further information. If you get this call, just hang up.

Along with local police, the federal Social Security Administration is warning that many phone scams are currently ongoing. In these cases, the callers are attempting to lure victims into providing personal information that can be used to steal identities.

"Recently, we have heard of a number of scams where individuals posing as Social Security employees call and ask for personal information like your name, Social Security number and bank account information," according to the SSA.

Email scams are also taking place, the SSA said. "In an effort to combat such scams, we want to make one thing perfectly clear: Social Security will not send you an email asking you to give us your personal information, such as your Social Security number, date of birth, or other private information," the SSA warned.

Whether a scammer is attempting to reach you via phone, text or email, police and the SSA said don't respond. Instead, contact your local Social Security office or call the SSA at (800) 772-1213 (TTY 1-800-325-0778).