By Kyle Jordan

Live 5 News Anchor/Reporter

PUBLISHED NOV 7, 2019 at 12:05 PM EST – Updated November 7 at 7:32 PM

 

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) – Scam artists are trying to get your personal information by impersonating the Social Security Administration more than any other government agency.

The social security impostor scam continues to be reported fraud to the Federal Trade Commission. It has surpassed the peak of IRS impostor scams three years ago. The Federal Trade Commission received more than 35,000 reports of Social Security impostor scams in 2018. That amount more than doubled already in 2019. The FTC received 73,000 reports of Social Security impostor scams in the first half of 2019.

Here’s an example of SSA impostor robocall you may hear:

“The reason you have received this phone call from our department is to inform you that there’s a legal enforcement action filed on your Social Security number for fraudulent activity so before this matter goes to the state courthouse and before you get arrested if you need any information or have any questions kindly call us back…”

Listen to the audio recording here

 

The FTC has a few suggestions to recognize these scams and protect yourself:
  • Be suspicious of any government agency threatening you and asking for money.
  • Don’t trust your caller ID. Scammers can spoof the number to look like the call is from the real agency.
  • Never pay with a gift card.
  • Look up the agency’s real number and call it if you have questions.

Always report scam calls like this to the FTC here.