Scams going around · Phone calls

Social Security number suspended call

Pretends to be the Social Security Administration (SSA) or its Inspector General's office. A caller says your Social Security number has been suspended, compromised or used in a crime. Sometimes the call starts with a fake store, bank, police officer or other agency that "transfers" you to Social Security. The caller wants your Social Security number, your bank details or your money. They may tell you to move your money to "protect" it and to keep the call a secret.

An example of what it can look like

Not a real message: the details are made up.

Social Security Administration (202) 555-0143

This is Agent Ray from the Social Security Administration, badge number 4471. Your Social Security number has been suspended because it was linked to a crime. To protect your savings, you must move your money today. Do not discuss this call with anyone. Please confirm your Social Security number now.

How to tell

• The caller says your Social Security number is suspended, compromised or being reissued. Real Social Security employees will never threaten to suspend your Social Security number.
• A store, bank, police officer or other agency offers to "transfer" you to Social Security. Real companies and agencies can't do that. Any call that connects you to Social Security this way is a scam.
• The caller asks for your Social Security number or bank details, maybe to "verify" your work records or address. Or you're told to keep the call secret, sign documents or move your money to "protect" it.
• The caller wants you to pay, maybe for a new Social Security number. They may ask for gift cards, gold, prepaid cards, cash or cryptocurrency (a kind of digital money). Some ask you to use a payment app (an app for sending money, like Venmo) or a wire transfer company, like Western Union.
• The caller gives an official's name or a "badge number." Or your caller ID (the name or number your phone shows) says Social Security. Scammers use real officials' names and can fake caller ID. None of these proves the call is real.

What to do

• Hang up. Don't press any numbers, and don't stay on the line to be transferred.
• Don't give or confirm your Social Security number, bank details or other personal information to anyone who called you. Don't type them into a website or form the caller sends you to.
• Don't move money, buy gift cards or gold, or send cash because a caller told you to.
• If the call started with a store or bank asking about a purchase, call that store or bank yourself. Use a number you find, not one from the call.
• Stop and talk to someone you trust before you do anything else.

If you already tapped, paid, called or replied

1. If you gave the caller your Social Security number and someone has used it, report it at IdentityTheft.gov. If it hasn't been used, or you aren't sure, go to IdentityTheft.gov/databreach and follow the steps.
2. If you paid by card or bank transfer, contact your bank or card company right away. Use the number on the back of your card. Ask them to refund your money.
3. If you paid with a gift card, contact the gift card company right away. Use the number on the back of the card. Keep the card and the receipt.
4. If you used a payment app (an app for sending money, like Venmo), report it to the app right away. If you sent a wire transfer through a company like Western Union, report it to that company right away. Ask them to refund your money.
5. If you paid with cryptocurrency (a kind of digital money), contact the business that handled it right away. That may be the company that runs the cryptocurrency ATM, or a cryptocurrency exchange. Tell them it was a fraudulent transaction, and ask them to reverse it.

How to check for real

Hang up and call Social Security yourself at 1-800-772-1213. Or check your earnings record and benefits online, in your personal my Social Security account at ssa.gov/myaccount.

Where to report it

• ssa.gov/scam, to report a Social Security scam
• ReportFraud.ftc.gov, the Federal Trade Commission's reporting site
• IdentityTheft.gov, if you think someone is using your Social Security number

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Where this comes from

Written from these official warnings, checked 2026-09-25. Lantern is not part of any organization named on this page.

• SSA Office of the Inspector General: Beware of Fake "Call Transfers" to Social Security or OIG
• SSA Office of the Inspector General: Protect Your Social Security Number
• FTC: What To Do if You Were Scammed
• SSA Office of the Inspector General: Warning Issued for Widespread Social Security Phone Scams