Phishing Scam Disguised as Request from Social Security Administration

The Social Security Administration is warning the public about a new email scam which attempts to steal your personal financial account information, credit card number, expiration date and PIN number.

How the scam works
The victim of the scam receives an email which looks to be from the Social Security Administration claiming that someone has illegally used his/her Social Security number to assume their identity. To fix the problem and to verify the identity of the actual victim, the email directs the recipient to a website designed to look like the official Social Security Administration website. Once the victim visits the phony site, he/she will be asked to provide financial account information, as well as his/her credit card number, expiration date and PIN number. This email is a scam - the Social Security Administration will never ask for your account information and/or credit card and PIN number via a website or over the phone.

What do I do if I receive this email?
If you believe you have received this email message or would like to report other suspicious activity to the Social Security's Office of Inspector General (OIG), please call 1-800-269-0271 (TTY 1-866-501-2101). A Public Fraud Reporting form is also available online at OIG's website www.socialsecurity.gov/oig.

What you can do to protect yourself against this and other phishing scams
Be protective of all your personal and financial information - never provide your Social Security number or account information to unknown solicitors, websites or callers unless you are extremely confident of the source requesting the information.

We also suggest you sign up for our Fraud Prevention e-LERT. Our Fraud Prevention e-LERT will immediately advise you when we have added a new article or warning to the ‘Fraud Alert' section of our website.