Local, State and Federal Law Enforcement has seen an increase in a Social Security Scam. Victims are receiving a call in which the caller purports to be a representative from Amazon. The caller will then transfer the victims call to who they say is a federal law enforcement agent who is investigating a compromise with the victim’s social security. The suspect will call the victim utilizing what appears to be a “spoofed” or fake phone number of the FBI Headquarters, 202-324-3000 or some other phone number with area code (202.) The suspect will then request the victim to withdraw money from their bank account so that it can be locked in another “secure” location. Suspects have requested victims to withdraw upward to $50,000.
These calls are fraudulent. Any legitimate law enforcement officer will not demand cash or gift cards from members of the public. The FBI has defined this type of scam as government impersonation fraud. Criminals impersonate government officials in an attempt to collect money. The criminals will often threaten and extort victims with physical or financial harm. Scammers are becoming more sophisticated in their approach and are technologically savvy, often targeting young persons and the elderly.
To protect yourself from falling victim to this scam, be wary of answering phone calls from numbers you do not recognize. DO NOT send money or gift cards to anybody that you do not personally know and trust. NEVER give out your personal information including banking information Social Security number, or other personally identifiable information over the phone or internet.
If you feel like you have fallen victim to a scam like this, please contact your local law enforcement and report it at the FBI at http://www.ic3.gov.
For information related to the aforementioned scam see the link below
https://partner.getcarefull.com/blog/anatomy-of-a-50-000-scam
For more information about government impersonation schemes and other online fraud schemes see the link below: https://fbi.gov/scams-and-safety/common-fraud-schemes
