Calls claiming to be the SSA

Scammers are calling, pretending to be from the Social Security Administration (SSA) and saying that your Social Security number (SSN) has been suspended because of suspicious activity or being involved in a crime. Sometimes, the scammer wants you to confirm your SSN to reactivate it or will ask for money or gift cards to keep your SSN or bank account safe.

Here's what to know:

• Your Social Security number is not about to be suspended. You don’t have to verify your number to anyone who calls out of the blue. And your bank accounts are not about to be seized.
• SSA will never call to threaten you or your benefits. And SSA will not tell you to wire money, send cash, or put money on gift cards. Anyone who tells you to do those things is a scammer. Every time.
• Don’t trust what you see on caller ID. Scammers can make it look like they’re calling from anywhere – even a real SSA phone number. Read what the real SSA has to say about this scam at their Social Security Matters blog.
• Never give any part of your Social Security number to anyone who contacts you out of the blue. Or your bank account or credit card number.
• Real SSA staff do call people who have ongoing business with the agency. But they’ll never threaten you, or ask you to send money.

Has your SSN been exposed or misused? Here’s what you can do:

I gave my Social Security number to the caller and I’m worried about identity theft.

Someone used my Social Security number to open accounts and I want to report identity theft.

If you got one of these calls, file a report at ftc.gov/complaint.