Senator Collins Warns Maine Seniors About A New Social Security Scam

Susan Collins sent out a press release in her capacity as the Chairman of the Senate Aging Committee about a new scam to redirect a seniors social security check to the criminal's account.

In this new scam the thief will impersonate someone from the Social Security Administration.  The release says these calls generally have a California area code.

During the call the con artists will tell his/her victims that they are due a cost-of-living-adjustment and request the victims’ names, dates-of-birth, Social Security numbers, and parents’ names. If successfully acquired, the scammers can then use this information to redirect victims’ direct deposits to their bank account.

Senator Collins was quote:

“This scam can cause immense harm to seniors, many of whom rely on Social Security benefits as their primary source of income each month. No one should give any personal information to unknown callers. Anyone receiving an unsolicited call regarding their Social Security benefits should immediately hang up and report it to the SSA Inspector General and the Senate Aging Committee.”

Tell everyone that you know especially the seniors in your life circle that NO ONE from the Social Security Administration will EVER ask for personal information over the phone. If you receive one of these calls, hang up and report it to the SSA OIG Hotline at 1-800-269-0271 or to the Senate Aging Committee’s Fraud Hotline at 1-855-303-9470.