Washington, DC – According to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), people lost more than $442 million in 2021 due to government imposter scams. Since 2019, FTC has received more reports for the Social Security Administration (SSA) than any other government agency.
Slam the Scam Day, today, March 10, is a campaign to raise public awareness of these widespread scams and is part of FTC’s National Consumer Protection Week, happening between March 6 and 12, 2022. In a government imposter scam, someone claims to be a government employee and may ask for personal information, demand payment, or make threats, primarily over the phone, but also through email, text, social media, and mail.
The Board joins the SSA Office of Inspector General (OIG) to reinforce that Social Security will never threaten, scare, or pressure you to take immediate action. If you receive a suspicious call:
- Hang Up!
- Don’t trust your caller ID
- Don’t give them personal information
- Don’t believe them
- Don’t give them money
- Report the scam at oig.ssa.gov
The public is encouraged to report Social Security-related scams and fraud to SSA OIG: oig.ssa.gov. Other government imposter scams may be reported to FTC: ftc.gov/scams.
###
The Board’s mission is to advise the President, Congress, and Commissioner of Social Security on the Social Security and Supplemental Security Income programs. The Board is comprised of Presidential and Congressional appointees with professional staff.