The Ringgold County Sheriff’s Office has seen an increase in reports from concerned county residents regarding fraudulent phone calls from scammers, claiming to be from the Social Security Administration.
The following are some tips to keep in mind regarding the SSA.
• Fraudulent callers state, that do to improper or illegal activity with a person’s Social Security number or account, the person will be arrested or possibly face legal action if they do not provide personal information.
• Often the scammer will use threatening language to be intimidating and give a sense of urgency.
• Social Security Administration employees will never ask for your Social Security number because they already know it.
• They will never threaten you for information and state that you may face a potential arrest or other legal action if you fail to provide information.
• Never give out any personal information such as your bank account information or your Social Security number. If you receive a phone call asking for this type of information you should just hang up.
• If you do choose to stay on the line, try to document the telephone number (or in some cases an email), name of the caller, time, date, what information was requested and anything else that may help identify the caller.
• If you receive a fraudulent call, please contact the Social Security Administration’s Office of the Inspector General hotline at 1-800-269-0271 or the Ringgold County Sheriff’s at 641-464-3921.
