Federal Trade Commission Scam Warning

According to an Administration for Community Living alert, the Federal Trade Commission has been receiving reports about people pretending to be from the Social Security Administration (SSA) who are attempting to steal people's Social Security numbers and extort money. One version of the scam entails an unscrupulous caller telling the person on the other end of the line that his or her Social Security number has been linked to a crime involving drugs or sending money out of the United States illegally. The caller then says the victim's Social Security number has been blocked before asking for a fee to reactivate it or get a new number. The red flag goes up when the caller asks the target to confirm his or her Social Security number. In another version of the scam, the caller says that somebody has used the victim's Social Security number to apply for credit cards. People, especially seniors, should know that the SSA will never call and ask for one's Social Security number. The agency will also not request any payment for anything over the phone. And an SSA representative will never threaten someone's benefits.