PA Officials Warn Of New Twist On Old Social Security Scam

Pennsylvania residents are being targeted by a new twist on an old scam involving Social Security numbers, authorities warned this week.

According to information from the Pennsylvania Attorney General's office,the scam differs from traditional Social Security scams because callers are telling consumers that their Social Security number has been compromised or suspended, rather than their usual tactic of saying it was stolen or demanding certain action to receive benefits.

Some residents have reported the scammers are impersonating government agencies and threatening an immediate payment in order to avoid an arrest or jail time.

“I urge Pennsylvanians to be vigilant of this scam and, if you believe that you have been victimized, please contact my Office immediately. We are here to protect you, and we are working hard to put an end to these scams," said Attorney General Josh Shapiro.

In one example, a 61-year-old Pennsylvania resident received a call from someone claiming to be from the Social Security Administration. The caller told him that his Social Security number had been compromised.

The same man then received a second call from a woman claiming to be from the County Sheriff’s office who said that multiple credit cards were opened in his name to make payments linked to terrorist groups in foreign countries and aggressively threatened him with jail time.
As a result, the man purchased about $10,000 in gift cards and read their numbers to the scammers.

Shapiro says residents should be on guard when answering the phone and to remember the following tips when a caller is asking for information:

• Never give out or validate personal information over the phone, especially if you did not place the call.
• If the caller is asking for immediate payment by using services such as wiring money, purchasing gift cards or any other prepaid service, hang up. The caller is most likely a scam artist.
• Legitimate agencies that call you will never call to ask you to verify information or demand payments. If you are unsure of the validity of the call, hang up and look up a number for the agency that called you.

Consumers who feel that they have been victimized or received a call similar to this should file a complaint with the Office of Attorney General’s Bureau of Consumer Protection at www.attorneygeneral.gov or by calling the office at 1-800-441-2555.