Impersonation

On March 28, the Social Security Administration (SSA) Office of the Inspector General (OIG) issued a “scam alert” regarding criminals who are impersonating SSA OIG agents and requesting that their targets meet them in person to hand off cash. SSA OIG reports that 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. SSA OIG reminds individuals that if they think they have been scammed to notify financial institutions to safeguard their accounts and file a police report...

This resource provides a summary of the ten most-reported scams the Senate Aging Committee's toll-free Fraud Hotline (1-855-303-9470) in 2019. Common instances reported include IRS impersonation scams, sweepstakes scams, and computer tech support scams. This report also summarizes common scams by state and provides tips for avoiding scams.