Scam Alert
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE oig.ssa.govMarch 28,2024 https://oig.ssa.gov/assets/uploads/scam-alert-handing-off-money-to-agents.pdf
Real SSA OIG agents will never ask you to give them cash or gift cards
The Social Security Administration (SSA) Office of the Inspector General (OIG) is
receiving alarming reports that criminals are impersonating SSA OIG agents and are
requesting that their targets meet them in person to hand off cash. SSA OIG agents will
never pick up money at your door or in any type of exchange. This is a SCAM!
NEVER exchange money or funds of any kind with any individual stating they are an
SSA OIG agent. This new scam trend introduces an element of physical danger to
scams that never existed before.
This recent method of handing cash directly to a phony agent is a dangerous twist on a
known scam tactic that pressures individuals to pay in a specific way by using cash or
gift cards. SSA OIG and official government agencies do NOT conduct business in this
manner.
“This is the latest example of how scammers are constantly evolving their tactics to
intimidate or pressure people into making hasty decisions that usually involve stealing
their target’s hard-earned money,” said Inspector General Gail S. Ennis. “While our
agents are out in the field, they will not ask you for money. I urge you not to respond to
these kinds of requests.”
WHAT TO DO IF YOU’VE BEEN SCAMMED
Stop talking to the scammer. Notify financial institutions and safeguard accounts.
Call the police and file a police report. File a complaint with the FBI
Internet Crime Complaint Center (ic3.gov). Report Social Security-related scams to SSA
OIG (oig.ssa.gov). Report other scams to the Federal Trade Commission (ftc.gov).
Keep financial transaction information and the record of all communications with the
scammer
