Senator Collins Warns of New Social Security Impersonation Scam

Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Susan Collins, the Chairman of the Senate Aging Committee, is warning older Americans of a new scam involving the impersonation of Social Security Administration (SSA) employees.

Reports to the Senate Aging Committee’s Fraud Hotline and the SSA Office of the Inspector General (OIG) describe how fraudsters call victims, generally from a phone number with a 323 (California) area code, and impersonate Social Security employees. The con artists tell the victims that they are due a cost-of-living-adjustment and request the victims’ names, dates-of-birth, Social Security numbers, and parents’ names. If successfully acquired, the scammers can then use this information to redirect victims’ direct deposits to their bank account.

“This scam can cause immense harm to seniors, many of whom rely on Social Security benefits as their primary source of income each month,” said Senator Collins. “No one should give any personal information to unknown callers. Anyone receiving an unsolicited call regarding their Social Security benefits should immediately hang up and report it to the SSA Inspector General and the Senate Aging Committee.”

It is important to remember that SSA employees will never ask for personal information over the phone. If you receive one of these calls, hang up and report it to the SSA OIG Hotline at 1-800-269-0271 or to the Senate Aging Committee’s Fraud Hotline at 1-855-303-9470.