Top Five Fraud And Scam Prevention Tools

By: Doug Nguyen

 

Knowledge is power and having the right tools to fi ght fraud can make a huge diff erence. Knowledge can also help those you love and want to protect. We put together a list of the fi ve most important resources about Social Security scams you should know about:

• Read and share our fact sheet Beware of Social Security Phone Scams to learn how to spot fake calls and emails at www.ssa.gov/fraud/ assets/materials/EN-05-10535.pdf.

• Visit our Offi ce of the Inspector General’s Scam Awareness page at oig.ssa.gov/scam for information on phone scams — and how to report them.

• Read our blog post at blog.ssa.gov/protecting-your-social-security- number-from-identity-theft to learn how to protect your Social Security number from identity theft.

• Create your own personal my Social Security account at www. ssa.gov/myaccount to help you keep track of your records and identify any suspicious activity.

• Visit our Fraud Prevention and Reporting page at www.ssa.gov/ fraud to understand how we combat fraud. Please share these resources about scams with your friends and family — and help us spread the word on social media.

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Chicago area woman loses $80,000 to Social Security scammers- By Jason Knowles and Ann Pistone – ABC7

A local woman told the I-Team the emotional story of how she was convinced to hand over her life savings of $80,000.

CHICAGO (WLS) — Criminals tell you your social security number is frozen and your benefi ts will be gone unless you pay up. Americans lost almost $45 million last year to this scam.

A local woman told the I-Team the emotional story of how she was convinced to hand over her life savings of $80,000. She lost her money to what’s being called one of the top scams.

“It hurts very bad, sometimes I cry when I am by myself,” Zenaida told the I-Team. She asked that we not show her full face or use her full name, but she wanted to tell us how she fell for the social security scam.

Zenaida came to the U.S. 50 years ago from the Philippines with $80 in her pocket. Now, she’s out $80,000.

“I came from a poor family when I came here in United States,” she explained.

“Your social security number has been suspended,” was the recording left on Zenaida’s phone. When she called the number back, Zenaida said: “She hypnotized me. I just follow what she’s telling me.”

That scammer told her to wire money or her Social Security benefi ts would be cut off because her Social Security number was attached to a criminal warrant in Texas.

Zenaida emptied her checking, savings and CDs: “And I put it together, $80,000.”

The Federal Trade Commission said the scam is No. 1 when it comes to all government imposter schemes. The Social Security Offi ce of the Inspector General says numbers from 2020 show 718,000 complaints and almost $45 million dollars in losses.

“When they see their caller ID, it says the Social Security Administration, so they might believe it,” said Andrew Boockmeier, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Social Security Offi ce of the Inspector General’s Chicago Field Offi ce.

ABC7 I-Team Consumer Reporter Jason Knowles was able to record one of those scam calls.