Social Security warns of phone scam

Area residents are getting calls from scammers who claim to be from the Social Security Administration, the agency said Monday in a news release.

The scammers say they work for the Social Security Administration and demand personal information, threatening to cancel the victims’ Social Security numbers if they do not comply, according to the release.

“In some cases, the caller states that Social Security does not have all of your personal information, such as your Social Security number, on file,” the release states. “Other callers claim Social Security needs additional information so the agency can increase your benefit payment.”

Always be cautious when receiving such a call and don’t give sensitive information, such as a Social Security number or bank account information, and never send a stranger money by wire transfer or gift cards, the agency advises.

Social Security employees occasionally contact people by telephone for customer-service purposes and might request the confirmation of personal information over the phone, the release states, but they will never threaten people with arrest or other legal action. Read full content from gazettextra.com