Fraud Alert

• NATIONAL FRAUD ALERT

PHISHING SCAM – CALLERS, PURPORTING TO INCREASE BENEFITS FOR SSA BENEFICIARIES, REQUEST PERSONAL BANK INFORMATION

During the last several months, members of the public, including SSA beneficiaries and applicants for SSA benefits and services, have contacted SSA field offices and teleservice centers to report the following:

Callers impersonating SSA officials offer beneficiaries an increase in current benefits of between $300 and $500, along with other awards such as gasoline vouchers. The caller identifies the reasons for the increase as either:

Callers impersonating SSA officials offer beneficiaries an increase in current benefits of between $300 and $500, along with other awards such as gasoline vouchers. The caller identifies the reasons for the increase as either:

• a reward for excellent credit;
• money owed the beneficiary by the government;
• a refund of back taxes; or
• increased benefits resulting from new legislation.

The caller informs the persons called of the monetary award, and also provides their true name, address, SSN, and bank routing number. The caller then asks for the bank account number into which the money will purportedly be deposited.

More than 50 incidents of this nature, spanning the entire country, have thus far been reported to the OIG. Reports have consistently related that the caller speaks with a highly distinctive foreign accent.

If you receive inquiries relating to this scam from the general public, please advise them to neither release any personal information, nor verify any personal information that the caller may provide.

OIG Fraud Alert No 1 – FY 2008 - Issued 11/30/07