Thousands Complain About Social Security Phone Scam

The U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) says a phone scam run by fraudsters posing as Social Security Administration (SSA) agents has topped the agency's call scam list for generating the most complaints, reports CBS Miami . The agency estimates that approximately 76,000 consumers have filed complaints about the scam, which stole $17 million in its peak year. For the 12 months ending March 31, the ruse had accumulated around $19 million. "What we have are scammers who have decided that it is too recognizable to pretend to be the IRS anymore," says FTC's Monica Vaca. "They know that they can't get away with that anymore so they've come up with a new angle, a new twist." The FTC warns that consumers can no longer trust their Caller ID, as the scammers use software to spoof a number to make it look like they are calling from the SSA or other federal agency.