Author: Rhea Titus
Published: 10:06 PM EDT April 23, 2019
Updated: 12:04 AM EDT April 24, 2019
WASHINGTON -- The Verify team works to get you truth about those potential scams that target you.
A Springfield, Virginia viewer said her husband got a robocall that his social security number had been canceled because of suspicious activity because it was suspected of fraud. She asked us to find out is this a new or an old scheme people should be aware of?
We went straight to the Social Security Administration and the Better Business Bureau for answers.
Together, the SSA and the Office of the Inspector General put out a warning about this impersonation scheme in July 2018. In most cases, an automated recording on the phone tells you your Social Security number is suspended, and your assets will be frozen until it’s fixed.
The Better Business Bureau also issued a warning in the fall of 2018, saying they were concerned for senior citizens would fall for the scheme if they received the call by panicking and providing personal details requested.
Now the Social Security Administration stated, occasionally they do call people for customer service purposes only and in rare special situations, where the person is already looped in ahead of time, would they request personal details over the phone.
So we verified, any call from the SSA claiming your Social Security number was canceled is not legit and it’s not a new scheme, but one still trying to target people.
