A new scam is being reported by the Cuyahoga County Department of Consumer Affairs (DCA) Scam Squad. Someone is calling and posing as a Social Security employee or law enforcement officer, saying the intended victims are about to be arrested because their Social Security number was linked to a drug crime in a border state. Residents receiving this type of call should immediately hang up on those callers who claim that there is a problem with Social Security accounts.
“Residents said they were told their Social Security numbers were somehow traced to a seized car filled with drugs. Sometimes scammers say there was also blood or a body at the scene, just to make the call more jarring,” said Sheryl Harris, Director of the Cuyahoga County Department of Consumer Affairs. “People are told they need to make a payment to head off the arrest or keep their benefits flowing. This is not how our justice system works.”
Another version of this scam is when people are told they need to pay to clear up fraudulent activity on their Social Security accounts. “One Cuyahoga County resident said someone posing as the sheriff told her there was fraud on her Social Security account and instructed her to put money in an e-wallet to ‘protect’ it during the investigation,” according to the DCA. “We’re seeing a drop in IRS scams, but these new Social Security scams are catching a whole new group of victims off guard,” Harris said.
“Never give any part of your Social Security number to anyone who contacts you, or your bank account or credit card number, according to the Federal Trade Commission. “SSA will never call to threaten your benefits or tell you to wire money, send cash, or put money on gift cards. Anyone who tells you to do those things is a scammer. Every time.”
The DCA recommends these steps to avoid scams:
“• Don’t answer calls you aren’t expecting, unless they’re family. If you accidentally pick up a robocall, hang up.
• Don’t trust caller IDs. Numbers can be spoofed.
• Delete vague or threatening voicemails. Do not call the numbers back—you’ll only get more calls.
• If you worry about the status of your Social Security account, contact the agency in person or by calling 1-800-772-1213.
• Know that legitimate government agencies will never ask you to pay using an e-currency account (for example, Bitcoin), Google Play or other gift cards, mailed cash or money wires.
• If someone calls to tell you that you’re about to be arrested, hang up! It’s a scam. Police don’t warn people they are on the way to arrest them.”
Scammers usually use the telephone and mail to institute scams. They may change the type of scam, but they are always after the same thing: money and/or identity. Generally speaking, the DAC recommends that if you hear these types of “lines” from a caller, in a letter, or from someone in person, just say “no thank you”:
“You’ve won big money in a sweepstakes, prize or foreign lottery.”
“You must send money right away.”
“You must act now, or the offer won’t be good.”
“You don’t need to check our company with anyone”—
“We’ll just put the shipping and handling charges on your credit card.”
“You cannot afford to miss this high-profit, no-risk offer.”
“It is guaranteed.”
“This is (government agency) calling because you are a good citizen and we have money to give you or you owe us money”—
“We’ve just finished a home improvement job nearby and have material left over so we can do your job for half the price.”
“Do not tell anyone about this.”
“Older people who rely on benefits can be especially vulnerable to these types of scams,” Harris said. “We really need County residents to share warnings about these scams with their friends and family.” Cuyahoga County residents should report scams to Scam Squad at 216-443-SCAM (7226) or consumeraffairs.cuyahogacounty.us.
By GLORIA PLEVA KACIK
Contributing Writer