A new scam is on the rise. Recently, several of our members have received phone calls from someone claiming to be from the Social Security Office. They claim that someone rented a vehicle in the member’s name, and then returned the vehicle with illegal items still in it.
The caller goes on to tell the member that in order to clear their name from this case, the member must “freeze” their account by taking all their money out. Then the member must purchase several gift cards and send the caller the serial numbers for the cards (this is how the member pays the caller for removing their name). Once this is done, the caller tells the member that they will be receiving a new social security number.
This is a scam! No legitimate government office will request money from you in the form of gift cards. To understand more about phone scams, see our tips below.
Signs of a Scam
• They request money over the phone
• They request payment by means other than credit card, such as in the form of gift cards, cash, or wire transfers
• They offer to send you a check, and then you send them a portion of the check back as their payment
• They ask for confidential information, such as your social security number, as “verification”
• They use scare tactics, such as saying you will be arrested if you do not comply
What You Can Do
If you feel that a phone call may be a scam, hang up. Fraudsters will try to manipulate you to send money right away, before you have time to think things through. Always ask questions, such as the person’s name, business, call back number, and reason for the call, if you feel it may be legitimate.
To prevent your number from being added to any call lists, you can add your phone number to the National Do Not Call Registry. This won’t stop all unsolicited calls, but it will stop most. If your number is on the registry and you still get calls, they’re probably from scammers ignoring the law. Hang up, and report them at www.donotcall.gov.
We are here to help
If you receive a call or are worried you may be a fraud victim, give us a call. We deal with these types of situations every day and can tell you whether or not the call is valid.