Social Security Scam Is Back In Tolland And Hartford Counties

NORTH CENTRAL CT — Social Security number "suspension" scams were making the rounds again on Wednesday in Tolland and Hartford counties.

They were hitting cellular phones as well as landlines. In one instance, a call was placed to a resident's cell number four times within two hours on Wednesday morning.

The calls came from a Texas number — 469-676-5529 — and claim to be from the Social Security Administration. A woman's voice sounding very electronic announced that "your" Social Security account has been suspended and indicated a call back to the same number is required for more information.

Here's how one callback went down:

Agent: "This is Agent (mumbles faster than an auctioneer) ... before we proceed, let me pull up your file to see what information we need ..."

Agent: (Returns) Before we go ahead, I will ask first what is your full name ..."

Resident: "You called me and you're the Social Security Administration, so you have to know ..."

Agent: "I do not agree with your logic ... before I give up any confidential information, I first need to confirm who I am talking to."

Resident: "But you called me telling me ny number is suspended so you have to know it."

Agent: "Sir, I need to confirm who you are."

Rsident: "Is this a scam?"

Agent: (Hangs up)

Federal, state and local authorities have been warning about the Social Security impersonation scam for months.

Here is a public service announcement about it:

The Social Security Administration (SSA) and its Office of the Inspector General (OIG) launched a joint Public Service Announcement (PSA) campaign addressing a nationwide telephone impersonation scheme. Social Security and the OIG continue to receive 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. The new PSAs 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.”

Social Security employees do occasionally contact people — generally those who have ongoing business with the agency--by telephone for business purposes. However, 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 OIG Fraud Hotline at 1-800-269-0271 or online at https://oig.ssa.gov/report.

"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.

To get more Social Security news, follow the Press Office on Twitter @SSAPress.