Question: A scam message was left on my mother’s answering machine on July 16 at 9:34 a.m. It said: “This is Parker calling from the Department of Social Security Administration. The reason is to inform you that legal enforcement action was filed against your Social Security number for criminal action. Call (number provided) before we begin with legal proceedings. Thank you.” Is there anyone I should notify about this scam telephone message? Fortunately, my mother is very cautious about answering telephone calls from telephone numbers that she does not know, and lets the call go to voicemail.
Answer: Your mom’s caution is warranted in this age of pervasive telephone and email scams, which continuously morph into new versions. The scam you described is on the rise, prompting current warnings from the Social Security Administration. Earlier versions tended to impersonate the IRS. Whichever agency is mentioned, the thieves’ goals are the same: to obtain money on the spot, often via a gift card, and to collect the victim’s personal and financial information to exploit later. Once armed, they try to drain bank accounts, make online purchases or sell the data to other identity thieves, to name a few examples.
We’re glad your mom avoided the theft attempt, which she may report to the SSA’s Office of the Inspector General via the Internet or by U.S. mail, telephone or fax.
>> Internet: Use the fraud reporting form at 808ne.ws/ssarpt
>> U.S. Mail: Social Security Fraud Hotline, P.O. Box 17785, Baltimore, MD 21235
>> Telephone: 1-800-269-0271 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Eastern Standard Time. (TTY for the deaf or hard of hearing: 1-866-501-2101.)
>> Fax: 410-597-0118
In the report, be sure to include the caller’s alleged name and telephone number; the date and time the call was received; what information the caller sought; and any other relevant details about the call’s content.
You supplied Kokua Line the 210 area code callback-number your mom received; we’re not printing it to avoid any reader calling it by mistake. The callback numbers are misleading anyway, thanks to technology that allows con artists to change them constantly and funnel all incoming calls to a central location, frequently outside the United States.
We reached what seemed like such a boiler room when we dialed the number you gave. The delayed pickup, loud chatter in the background and barely intelligible greeting from a “financial specialist” were red flags. When we told the woman why we were calling, she hung up.
Other Kokua Line readers have reported similar scam attempts in recent days, all by people pretending to represent Social Security. Most of the callers were threatening, and the readers immediately hung up the phone, but in one case the impersonator was polite and claimed to be returning a call to Social Security — which confused the reader momentarily.
She was about to answer the caller’s questions when “luckily I had the presence of mind to stop and say, ‘wait, I don’t think I called you,’ and they hung up,” the reader said.
It is possible that a Social Security Administration employee may call to follow up on business you initiate, according to the SSA website. But in that case, the employee should provide details to verify the call is legitimate. If you answer a call purported to be from Social Security and doubt it is real, don’t provide any information. Hang up and call 1-800-772-1213 to verify the contact.
Mahalo
Mahalo to the driver in another lane who extended her arm to warn me that a pedestrian was about to cross my lane on perilous South King Street. What an example of alertness and caring! — J.M.
Write to Kokua Line at Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 7 Waterfront Plaza, Suite 210, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Honolulu 96813; call 529-4773; fax 529-4750; or email kokualine@staradvertiser.com.
