The never-ending attempt by scammers to collect private information, included Social Security numbers for fraudulent purposes continues, and this time the scammers are claiming to be from the Office of Inspector General (OIG) for Social Security.
The OIG released a fraud advisory Oct. 9, 2018 warning of an ongoing OIG impersonation scheme after receiving reports from citizens about receiving calls from people reporting to be from the OIG.
The reports indicate the caller identifies as “Gale Stone” and states the person’s Social Security number (SSN) is at risk of being deactivated or deleted. The caller then asks the person to call a provided phone number to resolve the issue. Citizens should be aware that the scheme’s details may vary; however, citizens should avoid engaging with the caller or calling the number provided, as the caller might attempt to acquire personal information. The Acting Inspector General does not make these types of phone calls to citizens. OIG employees occasionally contact citizens for investigative, audit, or customer-service purposes, but they will not request sensitive personal information over the phone
“It is unfortunate that scammers are exploiting the OIG’s reputation and authority to mislead and harm innocent people,” Stone said. “We will continue to track these scams and alert citizens of their prevalence, so that citizens can stay several steps ahead of these thieves.”
It is important for anyone who receives a call from a government agency who is asking for identifying personal information to take time and confirm who they are dealing with and not provide sensitive information without doing so first. If you have any questions about communications received from Social Security or the OIG, you should contact your local Social Security office and should report any calls reportedly from the OIG to the OIG’s office by calling 800-269-0271.
