County Clerk Warns About New Soc. Sec. Number Robo-Call Scam
Residents of Westchester are being hit by another telemarketing scam, this time involving their social security number. The scam targets people with a robo-call pretending to alert them that their social security number has been frozen or compromised. If the person stays on the line and follows the scammer’s automated instructions, they will be asked to enter their social security number to “confirm” it is correct, and then they will be asked for payment to remedy the non-existent issue with the social security number.
“Not only is this scam cheating people out of money, it is leaving them vulnerable to identity theft,” said Tim Idoni, the Westchester County Clerk. “It is bad enough to have your money stolen, but having your identity stolen can be a living nightmare.”
The scam is using a similar 800 number to the one the U.S. Social Security Administration uses for their customer service, to better fool people into thinking they are legitimate.
“A government agency would never use a robo-call or automated service to alert you of a serious issue, particularly with something as important as your social security number,” said Idoni. “Always be on alert when someone asks for a cash payment or personal information.”
