Scams and frauds are often as creative as they are crooked, and the latest string of Social Security scams that has been sweeping the nation is yet another example of this. Like most scammers, the perpetrators are either looking to get cash before hanging up the phone, or are hoping to harvest personal information for a more elaborate scam at a later date.
Hang up, that’s not Social Security calling to threaten you
The Social Security media scam is fear-driven, and often marked by meticulousness. The scammers will phone or contact the victim, posing as a Social Security agent and informing them that their Social Security account has been compromised. The fraudsters know their way around technology, and are able to spoof the caller ID to make it look as if the call is coming from Washington, D.C.. Sometimes they will also present an agent’s badge or other information to persuade the respondent of their legitimacy.