FBI Warns of Rise in Social Security Scams Spoofing Its Phone Number

[silversurfer]

Content source

https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/fbi-warns-of-rise-in-social-security-scams-spoofing-its-phone-number/

The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) on Tuesday has issued a warning about a spike in its phone number being used for Social Security fraud.

Scammers have always used services that spoof the real phone number of a government agency or service to show them on the recipient's caller ID.

With the right social engineering skills, fraudsters can easily trick a victim into sending them money in various forms. Most of the time, the payment is not via a normal channel, which is an opportunity for the victim to catch on the scam.

The Bureau says that recently it has seen an increase in calls that fake the number of its headquarters, 202-324-3000.
To make the interaction appear legitimate, the fraudsters provide a name and a badge number, both of which are fake.

"In this scam, fraudulent callers posing as an FBI agent inform the victim that their Social Security number [SSN] has been suspended" - Federal Bureau of Investigation

FBI Warns of Rise in Social Security Scams Spoofing Its Phone Number

The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) on Tuesday has issued a warning about a spike in its phone number being used for Social Security fraud.

www.bleepingcomputer.com

 

[Antus67]

It is my understanding the FBI nor SS will call on this type of incident. If this was a actual problem a certified notice thru the mail from either would be presented with a notice of the problem SS would not ask over the phone for pers info. If this was scam and they provide a name and badge number tell them you will check it out.................next you hear is click..............

 

[bigpanda539]

I have read so many reports filed at Beware of 9142978075 about similar social security scams since last year. We should be aware of such scams and keep spreading the word to family about how these scammers work.