Thursday was 'Slam the Scam Day' and Social Security is promoting awareness of imposter scams.
On the WHOW Morning Show Thursday, Jack Myers with Social Security told Regional Radio this is the fifth annual 'Slam the Scam Day' which is a collaboration between Social Security, our Office of the Inspector General, and other government agencies to try and raise public awareness of government imposter scams.
In 2023 the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) received over 228,282 complaints of government imposter scams. Myers notes Social Security was the most frequently impersonated agency and in over 14% of those reports, people said they lost money to a scammer. The total amount of money reported lost to Social Security related scams alone was over $126.5 million.
Scammers try to take advantage of fears by threatening you with arrest or legal action. Myers adds they may tell you your savings or Social Security benefits are in jeopardy.
If you owe money to Social Security, we’ll mail you a letter with payment options and appeal information. Myers adds Social Security only accepts payments electronically through pay.gov, online bill pay from your bank, or by check or money order.
If you fall victim to an SSA imposter scam you should report it immediately at www.ssa.gov/scam. You can report other scams to www.reportfraud.ftc.gov.
