A warning has been issued by the Federal Trade Commission regarding a scam that involves the Social Security Administration. Scammers are “spoofing” the administration’s customer service number – 1-800-772-1213 – so that the number appears on your cell phone or other caller ID device while the call actually comes from a different number. If you receive a call alleging to be from the Social Security Administration, be cautious.

Here’s some tips to deal with government imposters:

• Don’t give the caller your information. Never give out or confirm sensitive information – like your bank account, credit card, or Social Security number – unless you know who you’re dealing with. If someone has contacted you, you can’t be sure who they are.
• Don’t trust a name or number. Con artists use official-sounding names to make you trust them. To make their call seem legitimate, scammers use internet technology to spoof their area code – so although it may seem they are calling from Washington, DC, they could be calling from anywhere in the world.
• Check with the Social Security Administration. The SSA has a warning about these scams and suggests you contact them directly at 1-800-772-1213 to verify the reason for the contact and the person’s identity prior to providing any information to the caller.

If you come across one of these scams, report it to the Social Security Administration’s Fraud Hotline at 1-800-269-0271, or 1-866-501-2101(TTY), and thentell the FTC about it.