April is Stress Awareness Month, but one thing that should never cause you stress is doing business with Social Security. However, if you fall victim to fraud, it can really stress you out, not to mention damage your credit score and wallet. We encourage you to be cautious of suspicious email, letters, and phone calls or any time someone asks for your personal information.Generally, Social Security will not call or email you and ask for your personal information, such as your Social Security number or banking information. If someone contacts you and asks for this kind of information and claims to be from Social Security, do not give out your personal information without first contacting us to verify the validity of the request. It could be an identity thief phishing for your personal information. Contact our toll-free number at 1-800-772-1213 (TTY 1-800-325-0778).Report suspicious calls to our Fraud Hotline at 1-800-269-0271 from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time, or online at http://oig.ssa.gov using the “Fraud, Waste, and Abuse” link. When making a report, please include as many of the following details as possible:
- The alleged suspect(s) and victim(s) names, addresses, phone numbers, dates of birth, and Social Security numbers;
- Description of the fraud and the location where the fraud took place;
- When and how the fraud was committed;
- Why the person committed the fraud (if known); and
- Who else has knowledge of the potential violation.
